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Pannexins 1 And 3 In Skeletal Health And Osteoarthritis, Paxton M. Moon

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease that gradually robs affected individuals of their mobility and places a substantial burden on health care systems and economies. OA results from pathological changes in bone, cartilage, synovium and supporting structures which are all essential to joint function. Cartilage degeneration, a hallmarking feature of OA, is an irreversible and untreatable consequence of these changes. Though the mechanisms underlying the initiation of cartilage breakdown remain unclear, joint injury and aging are risk factors. Pannexins (PANXs), a novel family of channel forming glycoproteins, have been suggested as important mediators of early OA. Therefore, my thesis tested the …