Authors: Aigner, T.; Gerwin, N.

Source: Current Drug Targets, Volume 8, Number 2, February 2007 , pp. 377-385(9)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Abstract:

Gene expression analysis including large scale gene expression profiling has become a very basic tool for investigating the pathogenesis of degenerative joint diseases as well as for the search of new drug targets. However, gene expression analysis so far revealed very complex expression patterns rather than a clear picture of molecular changes occurring during the initiation and progression of the disease. To elucidate the molecular changes in osteoarthritis the analysis of the fetal growth plate as a developmental model for phenotypic changes in chondrocytes occurring in osteoarthritis can help in three ways: it allows to interpret gene expression patterns in the context of disease-relevant processes also occurring in developing cartilage (e.g. cell differentiation, proliferation, matrix synthesis, catabolism and calcification), it offers the chance to investigate gene function in these functional contexts by knocking out or overexpressing genes in animals, and it provides a suitable model for testing the effect of therapeutic compounds on these processes within the growing cartilage.

Keywords: Drug development; chondrocytes; SOX; MMP; cartilage; collagen degradation

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138945007779940052

Affiliations: 1: Institute of Pathology, University of Leipzig, Liebigstr. 26, 0341 Leipzig, FRG.

Publication date: 2007-02-01

More about this publication?

• Current Drug Targets aims to cover the latest and most outstanding developments on the medicinal chemistry and pharmacology of molecular drug targets e.g. disease specific proteins, receptors, enzymes, genes. Each issue of the journal will be devoted to a single timely topic, with series of in-depth reviews, written by leaders in the field, covering a range of current topics on drug targets. These issues will be organized and led by a guest editor who is a recognized expert in the overall topic. As the discovery, identification, characterisation and validation of novel human drug targets for drug discovery continues to grow; this journal will be essential reading for all pharmaceutical scientists involved in drug discovery and development.

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