Engineering multi-tissue units for regenerative Medicine: Bone-tendon-muscle units of the rotator cuff.

Our body systems are comprised of numerous multi-tissue units. For the musculoskeletal system, one of the predominant functional units is comprised of bone, tendon/ligament, and muscle tissues working in tandem to facilitate locomotion. To successfully treat musculoskeletal injuries and diseases, critical consideration and thoughtful integration of clinical, biological, and engineering aspects are necessary to achieve translational bench-to-bedside research.

Hippo kinases MST1 and MST2 control the differentiation of the epididymal initial segment via the MEK-ERK pathway.

Although the roles of the Hippo pathway in organogenesis and tumorigenesis have been well studied in multiple organs, its role in sperm maturation and male fertility has not been investigated. The initial segment (IS) of the epididymis plays a critical role in sperm maturation. IS differentiation is governed by ERK1/2, but the mechanisms of ERK1/2 activation in IS are not fully understood.

Tubule-Specific Mst1/2 Deficiency Induces CKD YAP and Non-YAP Mechanisms.

Background: The serine/threonine kinases MST1 and MST2 are core components of the Hippo pathway, which has been found to be critically involved in embryonic kidney development. Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) are the pathway's main effectors. However, the biologic functions of the Hippo/YAP pathway in adult kidneys are not well understood, and the functional role of MST1 and MST2 in the kidney has not been studied.

Wnt16 attenuates osteoarthritis progression through a PCP/JNK-mTORC1-PTHrP cascade.

Objectives: Wnt16 is implicated in bone fracture and bone mass accrual both in animals and humans. However, its functional roles and molecular mechanism in chondrocyte differentiation and osteoarthritis (OA) pathophysiology remain largely undefined. In this study, we analysed its mechanistic association and functional relationship in OA progression in chondrocyte lineage.

Mst1/2 Kinases Modulate Glucose Uptake for Osteoblast Differentiation and Bone Formation.

Bone formation and bone homeostasis are energy-expensive processes. How they are being regulated by energy needs is not completely understood. This is of high clinical importance because diabetic-induced bone loss is common whereas the underlying mechanisms are unclear.

Osteocalcin expressing cells from tendon sheaths in mice contribute to tendon repair by activating Hedgehog signaling.

Both extrinsic and intrinsic tissues contribute to tendon repair, but the origin and molecular functions of extrinsic tissues in tendon repair are not fully understood. Here we show that tendon sheath cells harbor stem/progenitor cell properties and contribute to tendon repair by activating Hedgehog signaling. We found that () can be used as an adult tendon-sheath-specific marker in mice.