Rat ear cartilage was studied using Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) microspectroscopy to expand the current knowledge which has been established for relatively more complex cartilage types. Comparison of the FT-IR spectra of the ear cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) with published data on articular cartilage, collagen II and 4-chondroitin-sulfate standards, as well as of collagen type I-c...

Chondrogenesis; chondromodulin-1 (chm1); Angiogenesis inhibitor; Cartilage; Notochord; Zebra®sh; type II collagen (col2a1); Craniofacial; Otic vesicle; Pectoral ®n; Pharyngeal arch; Maternal transcript; Trabecula; Ethmoid plate; Genetic locus 105 157 chondromodulin-1 (chm1); Angiogenesis inhibitor; Cartilage; Notochord; Zebra®sh; type II collagen (col2a1); Craniofacial; Chondrogenesis; Otic ves...

Very little is known about the turnover of extracellular matrix in the human intervertebral disc. We measured concentrations of specific molecules reflecting matrix synthesis and degradation in predetermined regions of 121 human lumbar intervertebral discs and correlated them with ageing and Thompson grade of degeneration. Synthesis in intervertebral discs, measured by immunoassay of the conten...

Recent studies suggest that hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) increases collagen type I accumulation in rat vascular adventitia after balloon injury and that Angiotensin II (Ang II) induces collagen synthesis in vascular adventitial fibroblasts. Reports also indicate that Ang II type1 receptor (AT1R) activation, mediated by homocysteine (Hcy) may contribute to collagen type 1 expression in mouse aort...

Matrilin-1 (cartilage matrix protein) is a homotrimeric protein that forms collagen-dependent and collagen-independent fibrils in the extracellular matrix of cartilage. In the growth plate of developing long bones, the gene for matrilin-1 is transcribed exclusively by the chondrocytes of the zone of maturation which is situated between the zones of proliferation and hypertrophy. When associated...

BACKGROUND To determine the prevalence and significance of anti-citrullinated vimentin and anti-citrullinated type II collagen antibodies and elucidate their role in the disease process of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). METHODS Sera were obtained from 95 patients with various subtypes of JIA, 19 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, and 10 healthy children. Antibodies were measur...