The effect of surface demineralization of cortical bone allograft on the properties of recombinant adeno-associated virus coatings.

Freeze-dried recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) coated structural allografts have emerged as an approach to engender necrotic cortical bone with host factors that will persist for weeks following surgery to facilitate revascularization, osteointegration, and remodeling. However, one major limitation is the nonporous cortical surface that prohibits uniform distribution of the rAAV coating prior to freeze-drying. To overcome this we have developed a demineralization method to increase surface absorbance while retaining the structural integrity of the allograft.

Ubiquitin ligase Smurf1 mediates tumor necrosis factor-induced systemic bone loss by promoting proteasomal degradation of bone morphogenetic signaling proteins.

Chronic inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, are often accompanied by systemic bone loss, which is thought to occur through inflammatory cytokine-mediated stimulation of osteoclast resorption and inhibition of osteoblast function. However, the mechanisms involved in osteoblast inhibition remain poorly understood. Here we test the hypothesis that increased Smad ubiquitin regulatory factor 1 (Smurf1)-mediated degradation of the bone morphogenetic protein pathway signaling proteins mediates reduced bone formation in inflammatory disorders.