Pannexin 3 (Panx3) is a channel forming glycoprotein that is highly expressed in skeletal tissues. Panx3 is induced at the growth plate of long bones where it regulates cell proliferation and differentiation, a key role in bone formation.
This study analyzes the phenotype of long bones in a novel Panx3 knockout (KO) mouse to assess the role of Panx3 in bone formation.
Ten KO and 10 wild-type (WT) adult mice were scanned using in vivo micro-CT. Right femora / humeri were digitized using homologous landmarks. Geometric morphometric analysis (multivariate statistical methods) allowed for quantitative comparison of shape, size and variation between KO and WT long bones.
KO mice demonstrated distinct long bone shape differences. A significant amount of this difference, 20-30%, can be attributed to the allometric component of shape. When scaled, WT bones have proportionally longer diaphyses and KO bones have larger bony prominences and epiphyses.
Analysis of long bone cross-sectional geometric properties revealed thicker diaphyses in KO mice, equaling greater resistance to torsion and compression.
KO mice appear to have altered long bone growth patterns, implicating a role for Panx3 in maintaining optimum skeletal growth
