Elucidation for mechanisms of development and regeneration in tendon and ligament

肌腱和韧带是致密的纤维结缔组织，使身体能够运动。由于肌腱和韧带组织愈合非常缓慢且很少完全恢复，因此阐明这些组织的发育和再生机制是重要的研究课题。我们发现Mkx是在肌腱和韧带中特异性表达的转录因子。为了研究Mkx的体内功能，我们生成了Mkx^<-/->小鼠。这些老鼠全身的肌腱发育不全。我们还观察到Mkx^<-/->肌腱中I型胶原蛋白的下调。这些数据表明Mkx在肌腱分化中起关键作用。我们还对Mkx的上下游因子进行了筛选，并确定了候选基因。这些发现将为理解肌腱分化的分子机制提供基础，并可能为肌腱损伤和肌腱相关疾病（如Ehlers-Danlos综合征）提供治疗靶点。

Tendon and ligament are dense, fibrous connective tissues that allow for body movement. Elucidation for mechanisms of development and regeneration in these tissues is important research subject because tendon and ligament tissues heal very slowly and rarely recovers completely. We identified Mkx as a transcription factor specifically expressing in tendon and ligament. To investigate the in vivo functions of Mkx, we generated Mkx^<-/-> mice. These mice had hypoplastic tendons throughout the body. We also observed a downregulation of type I collagen in Mkx^<-/-> tendons. These data indicate that Mkx plays a critical role in tendon differentiation. We also performed the screening for upstream and downstream factors of Mkx, and identified the candidate genes. These findings will serve as a basis for understanding molecular mechanisms of tendon differentiation and may provide a therapeutic target for tendon injuries and tendon related diseases, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.