Basic science of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent, disabling disorder of the joints that affects a large population worldwide and for which there is no definitive cure. This review provides critical insights into the basic knowledge on OA that may lead to innovative end efficient new therapeutic regimens. While degradation of the articular cartilage is the hallmark of OA, with altered interactions between chondrocytes and compounds of the extracellular matrix, the subchondral bone has been also described as a key component of the disease, involving specific pathomechanisms controlling its initiation and progression. The identification of such events (and thus of possible targets for therapy) has been made possible by the availability of a number of animal models that aim at reproducing the human pathology, in particular large models of high tibial osteotomy (HTO). From a therapeutic point of view, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent a promising option for the treatment of OA and may be used concomitantly with functional substitutes integrating scaffolds and drugs/growth factors in tissue engineering setups. Altogether, these advances in the fundamental and experimental knowledge on OA may allow for the generation of improved, adapted therapeutic regimens to treat human OA.(undefined

ARAP3 Functions in Hematopoietic Stem Cells

ARAP3 is a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) that inactivates Arf6 and RhoA small GTPases. ARAP3 deficiency in mice causes a sprouting angiogenic defect resulting in embryonic lethality by E11. Mice with an ARAP3 R302,303A mutation (Arap3KI/KI) that prevents activation by phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) have a similar angiogenic phenotype, although some animals survive to adulthood. Here, we report that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from rare adult Arap3KI/KI bone marrow are compromised in their ability to reconstitute recipient mice and to self-renew. To elucidate the potential cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous roles of ARAP3 in hematopoiesis, we conditionally deleted Arap3 in hematopoietic cells and in several cell types within the HSC niche. Excision of Arap3 in hematopoietic cells using Vav1-Cre does not alter the ability of ARAP3-deficient progenitor cells to proliferate and differentiate in vitro or ARAP3-deficient HSCs to provide multi-lineage reconstitution and to undergo self-renewal in vivo. Thus, our data suggest that ARAP3 does not play a cell-autonomous role in HSPCs. Deletion of Arap3 in osteoblasts and mesenchymal stromal cells using Prx1-Cre resulted in no discernable phenotypes in hematopoietic development or HSC homeostasis in adult mice. In contrast, deletion of Arap3 using vascular endothelial cadherin (VEC or Cdh5)-driven Cre resulted in embryonic lethality, however HSCs from surviving adult mice were largely normal. Reverse transplantations into VEC-driven Arap3 conditional knockout mice revealed no discernable difference in HSC frequencies or function in comparison to control mice. Taken together, our investigation suggests that despite a critical role for ARAP3 in embryonic vascular development, its loss in endothelial cells minimally impacts HSCs in adult bone marrow

Distribution of the src-homology-2-domain-containing inositol 5-phosphatase SHIP-2 in both non-haemopoietic and haemopoietic cells and possible involvement of SHIP-2 in negative signalling of B-cells.

The termination of activation signals is a critical step in the control of the immune response; perturbation of inhibitory feedback pathways results in profound immune defects culminating in autoimmunity and overwhelming inflammation. FcgammaRIIB receptor is a well described inhibitory receptor. The ligation of B-cell receptor (BCR) and FcgammaRIIB leads to the inhibition of B-cell activation. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the SH2-domain-containing inositol 5-phosphatase SHIP (referred hereto as SHIP-1) is essential in this process. The cDNA encoding a second SH2-domain-containing inositol 5-phosphatase, SHIP-2, has been cloned [Pesesse, Deleu, De Smedt, Drayer and Erneux (1997) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 239, 697-700]. Here we report the distribution of SHIP-2 in mouse tissues: a Western blot analysis of mouse tissues reveals that SHIP-2 is expressed in both haemopoietic and non-haemopoietic cells. In addition to T-cell and B-cell lines, spleen, thymus and lung are shown to coexpress SHIP-1 and SHIP-2. Moreover, SHIP-2 is detected in fibroblasts, heart and different brain areas. SHIP-2 shows a maximal tyrosine phosphorylation and association to Shc after ligation of BCR to FcgammaRIIB but not after stimulation of BCR alone. Our results therefore suggest a possible role for SHIP-2 in the negative regulation of immunocompetent cells

SHIP2 controls PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 and PKB activity in response to oxidative stress

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are known to be involved in redox signalling pathways that may contribute to normal cell function as well as disease progression. The tumour suppressor PTEN and the inositol 5-phosphatase SHIP2 are critical enzymes in the control of PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3) level. It has been reported that oxidants, including those produced in cells such as macrophages, can activate downstream signalling via the inactivation of PTEN. The present study evaluates the potential impact of SHIP2 on phosphoinositides in cells exposed to sodium peroxide. We used a model of SHIP2 deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) stimulated by H(2)O(2): at 15 min, PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3) was markedly increased in SHIP2 -/- cells as compared to +/+ cells. In contrast, no significant increase in PtdIns(3,4)P(2) could be detected at 15 or 120 min incubation of the cells with H(2)O(2) (0.6 mM). PKB activity was also upregulated in SHIP2 -/- cells as compared to +/+ cells in response to H(2)O(2). SHIP2 add back experiments in SHIP2 -/- cells confirm its critical role as a lipid phosphatase in the control of PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3) level in response to H(2)O(2). We conclude that SHIP2 lipid phosphatase activity plays an important role in the metabolism PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3) which is demonstrated in oxygen stressed cell

Comparison of HR-MRI with µCT arthrography for the morphological assessment of non-human primate models of osteoarthritis

International audienc

Comparison of HR-MRI with µCT arthrography for the morphological assessment of non-human primate models of osteoarthritis

International audienc