由椎间盘退变引起的腰背痛已成为中国人口的三大主要伤残疾病，但尚无特异防治办法。组织内源性再生修复是维持组织稳态的天然保护机制之一，是否能作为防治椎间盘退变的有效生物治疗，尚无肯定。我们前期在正常椎间盘组织中发现存在具成体干细胞特性的髓核前体细胞，有能力形成细胞克隆集落，多向分化功能和自我更新能力。更重要的是，biglycan，椎间盘髓核细胞外基质多糖之一，能通过激活缺氧耐受因子（Hypoxia inducible factor）维持髓核前体细胞在极端环境存活。因此，揭示椎间盘髓核前体细胞微环境关键成分的调控作用，将对认识髓核前体细胞的再生特性和椎间盘组织稳态产生重要影响，从而可能找到防治椎间盘退变的新方法。本研究在前期基础上，以髓核前体细胞微环境关键成分为新突破点，研究其对椎间盘髓核前体细胞的分子调控机制和潜在治疗作用，若能成功，将具有重要的科学价值和临床意义。

Low back pain, derived from the interverterbal disc degeneration, becomes one of the three biggest disabled diseases in the chinese population. Up to date, there is no efficient treatment. The work from our group has confirmed the endougenous progenitor cells in the intervertebral disc and the funtionality of clonogenicity, multipotency and self-renewal. Importantly, biglycan, one of the extra-cellular matrix components, supports the survival of intervertebral disc progenitor cells by activating Hypoxia Inducible Factors, which becomes one of the functional microenvironment components of the intervertebral disc progenitor cells. Therefore, understanding the intervertebral disc progenitor cell component in the regulation of progenitor cell function and tissue homeostasis will shed new light on the biology of intervertebral disc and the potential treatment. The project will study the molecular singal pathway and regenerative modulation of the intervertebral disc progenitor cell component. The potential outcome will offer new significance to the intervertebral disc translation study and clinical treatment.