Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34400627›Full record

ArticleNature communications2021

NGF-TrkA signaling dictates neural ingrowth and aberrant osteochondral differentiation after soft tissue trauma.

Seungyong Lee, Charles Hwang, Simone Marini, Robert J Tower, Qizhi Qin, Stefano Negri, Chase A Pagani, Yuxiao Sun, David M Stepien, Michael Sorkin and 14 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 63 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
63citing papers in PubMed
10.0field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

63 citing papers in PubMed, 83 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
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  13. Single-cell sequencing uncovers sensory neuron-mediated CGRP signaling as a driver of sarcoma progression.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
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  16. p75Bone reports · 2025
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3 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

24 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.

Seungyong Lee *Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5397-6889
Charles Hwang *Department of Surgery, Center for Organogenesis and Trauma, University of Texas, Southwestern, TX, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3897-6813
Simone MariniDepartment of Epidemiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Robert J TowerDepartment of Orthopaedics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5856-5758
Qizhi QinDepartment of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Stefano NegriDepartment of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2218-6654
Chase A PaganiDepartment of Surgery, Center for Organogenesis and Trauma, University of Texas, Southwestern, TX, USA.
Yuxiao SunDepartment of Surgery, Center for Organogenesis and Trauma, University of Texas, Southwestern, TX, USA.
David M StepienDepartment of Surgery, Center for Organogenesis and Trauma, University of Texas, Southwestern, TX, USA.
Michael SorkinDepartment of Surgery, Center for Organogenesis and Trauma, University of Texas, Southwestern, TX, USA.
Carrie A KubiakDepartment of Surgery, Center for Organogenesis and Trauma, University of Texas, Southwestern, TX, USA.
Noelle D VisserDepartment of Surgery, Center for Organogenesis and Trauma, University of Texas, Southwestern, TX, USA.
Carolyn A MeyersDepartment of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Yiyun WangDepartment of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0775-4377
Husain A RasheedDepartment of Surgery, Center for Organogenesis and Trauma, University of Texas, Southwestern, TX, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0624-907X
Jiajia XuDepartment of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Sarah MillerDepartment of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Amanda K HuberDepartment of Surgery, Center for Organogenesis and Trauma, University of Texas, Southwestern, TX, USA.
Liliana MinichielloDepartment of Pharmacology, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4246-4765
Paul S CedernaDepartment of Surgery, Center for Organogenesis and Trauma, University of Texas, Southwestern, TX, USA.
Stephen W P KempDepartment of Surgery, Center for Organogenesis and Trauma, University of Texas, Southwestern, TX, USA.
Thomas L ClemensDepartment of Orthopaedics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Aaron W JamesDepartment of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. awjames@jhmi.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2002-622X
Benjamin LeviDepartment of Surgery, Center for Organogenesis and Trauma, University of Texas, Southwestern, TX, USA. Benjamin.Levi@utsouthwestern.edu.
Organogenesis (United States) · USJohns Hopkins University · USSouthwestern Medical Center · USUnited States Department of Veterans Affairs · USUniversity of Florida · USUniversity of Oxford · GBUniversity of Verona · IT

Funding

Impact of peripheral nerves on mesenchymal cell fate in extremity traumaR01AR079171 · NIAMS · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · PI JAMES, AARON W, LEVI, BENJAMIN · 2021 to 2024
$3.0M
Neuronal Regulation of Skeletal Development and RepairR01AR068934 · NIAMS · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI CLEMENS, THOMAS L · 2015 to 2019
$1.8M
Targeting Molecular and Cellular Mediators of Inflammation to Prevent Pathologic Cell Differentiation and Heterotopic OssificationR01AR071379 · NIAMS · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · PI LEVI, BENJAMIN · 2017 to 2021
$1.5M
Direct and indirect contributions of perivascular stem cells to bone healingR01AR070773 · NIAMS · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI JAMES, AARON W · 2017 to 2021
$1.4M
Neutrophil Biomarker and neutrophil targeted therapy to predict and prevent heterotopic ossificationR61AR078072 · NIAMS · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · PI LEVI, BENJAMIN · 2020 to 2021
$786k
Role of sensory nerves in cranial bone repairR21DE027922 · NIDCR · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI CLEMENS, THOMAS L, JAMES, AARON W · 2018 to 2019
$450k
Howard Hughes Medical InstituteNIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR068934NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR070773NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR071379NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR079171NIAMS NIH HHS R61 AR078072NIDCR NIH HHS R21 DE027922
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pain is a central feature of soft tissue trauma, which under certain contexts, results in aberrant osteochondral differentiation of tissue-specific stem cells. Here, the role of sensory nerve fibers in this abnormal cell fate decision is investigated using a severe extremity injury model in mice. Soft tissue trauma results in NGF (Nerve growth factor) expression, particularly within perivascular cell types. Consequently, NGF-responsive axonal invasion occurs which precedes osteocartilaginous differentiation. Surgical denervation impedes axonal ingrowth, with significant delays in cartilage and bone formation. Likewise, either deletion of Ngf or two complementary methods to inhibit its receptor TrkA (Tropomyosin receptor kinase A) lead to similar delays in axonal invasion and osteochondral differentiation. Mechanistically, single-cell sequencing suggests a shift from TGFβ to FGF signaling activation among pre-chondrogenic cells after denervation. Finally, analysis of human pathologic specimens and databases confirms the relevance of NGF-TrkA signaling in human disease. In sum, NGF-mediated TrkA-expressing axonal ingrowth drives abnormal osteochondral differentiation after soft tissue trauma. NGF-TrkA signaling inhibition may have dual therapeutic use in soft tissue trauma, both as an analgesic and negative regulator of aberrant stem cell differentiation.

Indexed as

Cell DifferentiationSignal TransductionAnimalsAxonsCartilageMiceMice, Inbred C57BLNerve Growth FactorOsteogenesisReceptor, trkAStem CellsWounds and InjuriesNerve Growth FactorReceptor, trkA

Identifiers

PMID34400627
PMCPMC8368242
OpenAlexW3194902694

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.