RUNX2 is a transcription factor with a well-characterized role in bone development. In this issue of Cell, Vega and colleagues (Vega et al., 2004) show that HDAC4 interacts with RUNX2 and impacts upon chondrocyte hypertrophy and bone formation.

Rapid Prototyping Technology is a group of manufacturing processes that enable the direct physical realization of 3D computer models. This technology converts the 3D computer data provided by a dedicated file format directly to a physical model, layer by layer with a high degree of accuracy. This technology is fast developing and is more than competitive to traditional model building techniques...

Collagen XI alpha 1 (Col11a1) is an extracellular matrix molecule required for embryonic development with a role in both nucleating the formation of fibrils and regulating the diameter of heterotypic fibrils during collagen fibrillar assembly. Although found in many different tissues throughout the vertebrate body, Col11a1 plays an essential role in endochondral ossification. To further underst...

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Non Hodgkin Lymphomas (NHL) are nodal or extra nodal monoclonal infiltrations by malignant lymphoid cells (B Lymphocytes in 80% of cases), which are distinguished as indolent or aggressive forms. According to the heterogeneity of lymphoid cells and their ubiquitous anatomical distribution, these disorders can develop in any organ and have very heterogeneous clinical expressions, but they are...

Epigenetic modifications are heritable changes in gene expression without changes in DNA sequence. DNA methylation has been implicated in the control of several cellular processes including differentiation, gene regulation, development, genomic imprinting and X-chromosome inactivation. Methylated cytosine residues at CpG dinucleotides are commonly associated with gene repression; conversely, st...

Down syndrome (DS) is a common genetic disorder that occurs in approximately 1 out of every 750 live births. DS phenotypes include cognitive deficits, altered craniofacial features, muscle hypotonia, heart defects, and abnormal bone structure. The Ts65Dn mouse model is the most common organismal model used to study DS phenotypes. This model exhibits a number of phenotypic traits comparable to t...

Several conditions in clinical orthopaedic practice can lead to the development of a diaphyseal segmental bone defect, which cannot heal without intervention. Segmental bone defects have been traditionally treated with bone grafting and/or distraction osteogenesis, methods that have many advantages, but also major drawbacks, such as limited availability, risk of disease transmission and prolong...

Chordomas are low-grade malignant tumors of bone that occur almost exclusively in the axial  skeleton. Chordomas are rare in children and adolescents and comprise <5% of all cases and the  site of development is at the skull base. These tumors are believed to behave more aggressively  than chordomas in adults and may have unusual morphology. We herein present a rare case of chordoma in a 20-yea...

Much of our knowledge about cartilage and bone has come from descriptive anatomy, endocrinology, and cellular studies of bone turnover. Recent approaches have led to the identification of local factors that regulate skeletal morphogenesis. Molecular and biochemical studies of bone and cartilage cells in vitro, gene inactivation in mice, and the identification of genes responsible for mouse and ...