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Investigating The Role Of Pannexin 3 In Intervertebral Disc Health And Disease, Meaghan E. Serjeant
Investigating The Role Of Pannexin 3 In Intervertebral Disc Health And Disease, Meaghan E. Serjeant
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Pannexin 3 (Panx3) is a mechanosensitive, channel-forming glycoprotein implicated in the progression of post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Despite evidence for Panx3 expression in intervertebral discs (IVDs), its function here remained unknown. Using Panx3-/- mice, this study investigated the role of Panx3 in age-associated and injury-induced models of IVD degeneration. While loss of Panx3 did not significantly impact the progression of age-associated IVD degeneration, it was associated with a protective phenotype in an injury model of IVD degeneration, specifically in the annulus fibrosus (AF). Following IVD injury, WT mice showed an accumulation of enlarged cells that appeared to contribute to disrupted AF …
Ectopic Mineralization Of Spinal Tissues In Mice Lacking Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter 1, Sumeeta Warraich
Ectopic Mineralization Of Spinal Tissues In Mice Lacking Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter 1, Sumeeta Warraich
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (ENT1) regulates the bi-directional transfer of hydrophilic nucleosides, such as adenosine, across the plasma membrane. Mice lacking ENT1 developed calcified lesions resembling diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) in humans. By 12 months of age, ENT1-/- mice exhibit spine stiffness, hind limb dysfunction, and paralysis. Histological examination of ENT1-/- mice revealed irregular accumulations of eosinophilic material in paraspinal ligaments and entheses, intervertebral discs, and sternocostal articulations. There was no evidence of mineralization in appendicular joints or blood vessels. Analysis of intervertebral disc tissues of 6 month old ENT1-/- and wild-type mice revealed reduced expression …