Unique, Gender-Dependent Serum microRNA Profile in PLS3 Gene-Related Osteoporosis.

Plastin 3 (PLS3), encoded by PLS3, is a newly recognized regulator of bone metabolism, and mutations in the encoding gene result in severe childhood-onset osteoporosis. Because it is an X chromosomal gene, PLS3 mutation-positive males are typically more severely affected whereas females portray normal to increased skeletal fragility. Despite the severe skeletal pathology, conventional metabolic bone markers tend to be normal and are thus insufficient for diagnosing or monitoring patients.

Evaluation of BMP-2 Minicircle DNA for Enhanced Bone Engineering and Regeneration.

Background: To date, the significant osteoinductive potential of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) non-viral gene therapy cannot be fully exploited therapeutically. This is mainly due to weak gene delivery and brief expression peaks restricting the therapeutic effect.

Objective: Our objective was to test the application of minicircle DNA, allowing prolonged expression potential.