Effect of milk fat globules on growth and metabolism in rats fed an unbalanced diet.

We assessed the effects of supplementing milk fat globules (MFG) on the growth and development of the skeleton in rats fed a Western unbalanced diet (UBD). The UBD is high in sugar and fat, low in protein, fiber, and micronutrients, and negatively impacts health. The MFG-a complex lipid-protein assembly secreted into milk-has a unique structure and composition, which differs significantly from isolated and processed dietary ingredients.

Differential gene expression in the calvarial and cortical bone of juvenile female mice.

Introduction: Both the calvarial and the cortical bones develop through intramembranous ossification, yet they have very different structures and functions. The calvaria enables the rapid while protected growth of the brain, whereas the cortical bone takes part in locomotion. Both types of bones undergo extensive modeling during embryonic and post-natal growth, while bone remodeling is the most dominant process in adults.

The gelatinases, matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9, play individual roles in skeleton development.

The gelatinases, a subgroup of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) superfamily are composed of two members; MMP2 and MMP9. They are known to degrade gelatin among other components of the extracellular matrix. Recently, the two gelatinases were found to be necessary for neural crest cell migration and to compensate for each other loss in these cells.

Enhancing the chondrogenic potential of chondrogenic progenitor cells by deleting RAB5C.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent chronic joint disease that affects a large proportion of the elderly population. Chondrogenic progenitor cells (CPCs) reside in late-stage OA cartilage tissue, producing a fibrocartilaginous extracellular matrix; these cells can be manipulated to deposit proteins of healthy articular cartilage. CPCs are under the control of SOX9 and RUNX2.

The Influence of TGF-β3, EGF, and BGN on SOX9 and RUNX2 Expression in Human Chondrogenic Progenitor Cells.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common chronic joint disease and leads to the degradation of the extracellular matrix by an imbalance between anabolic and catabolic processes. TGF-β3 (transforming growth factor beta-3) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) influence the osteochondrogenic potential of chondrocytes. In this study, we compared the expression of mediators and receptors in the TGF-β3 and EGF pathways, as well as biglycan (BGN), in healthy and diseased chondrocytes.