The hippo pathway orchestrates cytoskeletal organisation during intervertebral disc degeneration

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader The hippo pathway orchestrates cytoskeletal organisation during intervertebral disc degeneration Via histochem Acta Histochem. 2021 Aug 23;123(6):151770. doi: 10.1016/j.acthis.2021.151770. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Yes-associated protein (YAP) activity responded to physical and mechanical cues such as extracellular matrix (ECM), cell density and the mechanical regulation of YAP controlled cellular proliferation and inhibition of apoptotic signals. The intervertebral disc (IVD) comprises a heterogeneous population of cells, including those of the nucleus pulposus (NP) and annulu s fibrosus (AF), which are diverse in phenotype, partly due to the different ECM and mechanical loads they experience. How do IVD cells sense microenvironment and what is the relationship between YAP and cytoskeleton in the process of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) are not well understood. First, Hippo pathway and cytoskeleton organisation were assessed in the NP and AF of immature (4 weeks), mature (14 weeks), aged (50 weeks), and degenerated (14 weeks, 4 weeks after annulus puncture) IVDs. Second, to assess the effect of ECM composition and cell density on cytoskeleton and YAP levels, we seeded cells at different densities on three types of ECM. In this study, YAP and F-actin activity decreased gradually with age in natural IDD. Hippo signalling was suppressed in the early stages of disc injury, demonstrating the potential for endogenous repair, but this repair did not prevent further disc degeneration. β-tubulin and vimentin filaments provide the cell with its shape and its elastic properties in resisting mechanical forces. The Hippo pathway and cytoskeleton were shown to be regulated by cell density and the ECM composition. PMID:34438335 | DOI:10.1016/j.acthis.2021.151770 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.