ArticleMolecular pathology : MP2002
Expression of chondrocyte markers by cells of normal and degenerate intervertebral discs.
Article in Molecular pathology : MP, 2002. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 167 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
167 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 361 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mapping the degenerating intervertebral disc: a systematic review of histological evidence.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Stem cells and discogenic back pain.British medical bulletin · 2023Pooled it
- CRISPR activation reveals SOX5/6/9 as key transcriptional regulators directing iPSC-derived cells toward a notochordal lineage.Stem cell reports · 2026Article
- Single-cell multi-omics defines H3K27me3 remodelling in intervertebral disc degeneration with implications for regenerative intervention.Bone research · 2026Article
- Deep phenotyping of an ATDC5 in-vitro cartilage model system.Bone reports · 2026Article
- Identification of stem cell marker-positive subpopulations in the vocal fold of the larynx through transcriptomic analyses.Nature communications · 2026Article
- EVC protein regulates Sonic hedgehog signaling during human intervertebral disc development and degeneration.iScience · 2026Article
- Safety of autologous nucleus pulposus cell transplantation with fibrin glue following endoscopic discectomy in chronic low back pain: a preliminary phase I trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Article
- Engineering Intervertebral Disc Regeneration: Biomaterials, Cell Sources and Animal Models.Cell proliferation · 2025Review
- Chronic Low Back Pain in Young Adults: Pathophysiological Aspects of Neuroinflammation and Degeneration.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Proteomic profiling of human plasma and intervertebral disc tissue reveals matrisomal, but not plasma, biomarkers of disc degeneration.Arthritis research & therapy · 2025Article
- Nucleus pulposus cell network modelling in the intervertebral disc.NPJ systems biology and applications · 2025Article
- 17β-estradiol maintains extracellular matrix homeostasis of nucleus pulposus cells by activating p70 S6K1 signaling pathway.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2025Article
- CD24 Positive Nucleus Pulposus Cells in Adult Human Intervertebral Discs Maintain a More Notochordal Phenotype Than GD2 Positive Cells.JOR spine · 2024Article
- Role of signaling pathways in age-related orthopedic diseases: focus on the fibroblast growth factor family.Military Medical Research · 2024Review
- Mechanism exploration of Osteoking in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation based on network pharmacology and molecular docking.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2024Article
- Allogeneic fibroblasts ameliorate intervertebral disc degeneration by reducing osteophytes in rabbits.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- Spatially multicellular variability of intervertebral disc degeneration by comparative single-cell analysis.Cell proliferation · 2023Article
- Recommendations for intervertebral disc notochordal cell investigation: From isolation to characterization.JOR spine · 2023Article
- Immunomorphogenesis in Degenerative Disc Disease: The Role of Proinflammatory Cytokines and Angiogenesis Factors.Biomedicines · 2023Article
107 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimsTo investigate the phenotype of cells in normal and degenerate intervertebral discs by studying the expression of molecules characteristic of chondrocytes in situ.
methodsHuman intervertebral discs taken at surgery were graded histologically, and classified on this basis as normal or degenerate. Eighteen of each type were selected, and in situ hybridisation was performed for the chondrocytic markers Sox9 and collagen II using (35)S labelled cDNA probes. Aggrecan was located by immunohistochemistry, using the monoclonal antibody HAG7E1, and visualised with an avidin-biotin peroxidase system.
resultsIn the normal discs, strong signals for Sox9 and collagen II mRNA, and strong staining for the aggrecan protein were seen for the cells of the nucleus pulposus (NP), but reactions were weak or absent over the cells of the annulus fibrosus (AF). In degenerate discs, the Sox9 and collagen II mRNA signals remained visible over the cells of the NP and were again absent in the AF. Aggrecan staining was not visible in the NP cells, and was again absent in the AF.
conclusionsCells of the normal NP showed expression of all three markers, clearly indicating a chondrocytic phenotype. In degeneration, there was evidence of a loss of aggrecan synthesis, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of disc degeneration. AF cells showed no evidence of a chondrocytic phenotype in either normal or degenerate discs.
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