Regulatory mechanisms of central nervous system by Runx2

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We have previously shown the functional expression of glutamatergic and GABAergic signaling machineries in different osseous cells including osteoblasts. Runt-related factor 2 (Runx2) is the master regulator of osteoblastic differentiation with ability to accelerate differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts, while we have also demonstrated the expression of mRNA and corresponding protein for Runx2. In this study, we for the first time generated mice carrying a conditional Runx2 allele with exon 4, which encodes the Runt domain, flanked by loxP sites. These mice were crossed with α1(I)-collagen-Cre or α1(II)-collagen-Cre transgenic mice to obtain osteoblast- or chondrocyte-specific Runx2 deficient mice, respectively. In newborn α1(II)-Cre;Runx2^flox/flox mice, mineralization impairment was restricted to skeletal areas undergoing endochondral ossification including long bones and vertebrae. In contrast, no apparent skeletal abnormalities were seen in mutant embryo, newborn, and 3- to 6-week old-mice in which Runx2 had been deleted with the α1(I)-collagen-Cre driver. The Runx2 floxed allele established here is undoubtedly useful for investigating the role of Runx2 in particular cells.