The functional significance of cell clusters in the notochordal nucleus pulposus - Survival and signaling in the canine intervertebral disc
The functional significance of cell clusters in the notochordal nucleus pulposus - Survival and signaling in the canine intervertebral disc
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DOI：
10.1097/00007632-200405150-00010
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发表时间：
2004-05-15
期刊：
影响因子：
3
通讯作者：
Duncan, NA
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hunter, CJ;Matyas, JR;Duncan, NA
研究设计。评估细胞活力与细胞簇的关系，并研究细胞簇中细胞-细胞信号传导的机制。探讨脊索髓核细胞聚集的功能作用。背景资料摘要。有些物种的椎间盘含有胚胎脊索残留的细胞。这些细胞在年轻、健康的椎间盘形成大的三维簇，但在衰老和变性过程中被软骨细胞样细胞所取代。40个成年犬腰椎间盘髓核被分离，未经处理，通过注射器机械破坏，或酶消化。通过光漂白后的荧光恢复来确定功能性间隙连接的存在。在体外20天内评估细胞活力。细胞簇通过功能性间隙连接相互连接。组织的机械破坏对细胞的长期生存能力几乎没有影响，但组织的酶破坏对细胞的生存有实质性的负面影响。这些结果表明，成年犬髓核脊索细胞能够通过细胞质信号进行通信，并且这种通信可能影响这些细胞在幼犬椎间盘中的功能。
Study Design. Cell viability was assessed in relation to cell clustering, and mechanisms of cell-cell signaling in the clusters were investigated.Objectives. To explore the functional role of cell clustering in the notochordal nucleus pulposus.Summary of Background Data. The intervertebral disc of some species contains residual cells from the embryonic notochord. These cells form large three-dimensional clusters in the young, healthy disc but are replaced by chondrocyte-like cells during aging and degeneration.Methods. Forty nucleus pulposi of adult dog lumbar intervertebral discs were isolated, and were left untreated, mechanically disrupted through a syringe, or enzymatically digested. The presence of functional gap junctions was determined by the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching method. Cell viability was also assessed over 20 days in vitro.Results. The cell clusters were interconnected via functional gap junctions. Mechanical disruption of the tissue had little effect on long-term cell viability, but enzymatic disruption of the tissue had a substantial negative impact on cell survival.Conclusions. These results demonstrate that the notochordal cells in adult dog nucleus pulposi are able to communicate via cytoplasmic signals and that such communications mayinfluence the functionality of these cells in the young disc.