Causes of Cartilage Degenerative Arthritis Unveil to Give Clue for the Disease with No Fundamental Treatment Yet

- Expectation is growing on Development of Prevention and Cure with Molecule Mechanism of Cartilage Degeneration Unveiled  

- The Paper published in the latest issue of CELL gains media attention both home and abroad

 

 

 

□ A Korean research group succeeded in unveiling causes of cartilage degenerative arthritis**, a joint disease that causes cartilage* degrading. When patients suffering with the disease are growing with population aging, there has been no fundamental treatment found yet. Under the circumstances, the research to reveal molecule mechanism of joint degeneration is expected to provide a critical clue for prevention and treatment for degenerative arthritis.

* Degenerative arthritis is a group of mechanical abnormality involving degeneration of cartilage in joints and structural changes of bones. The disease causes pain and inflammation in joints but it the causes of pathological changes have not been found yet and just commonly known that it is induced by physical and mechanical factors including aging, genetic factor, obesity/external injury. 

 

** Cartilage is flexible connective tissue that wraps bond ends, serving as cushion to absorb physical force and reduce friction between bones in joints, making it easier and more flexible to move.

 

o The research was conducted by Professor Chun Jang Soo and Dr. Kim Jin-hong (Primary Author) at School of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology(GIST, President ž Young Joon Kim) with support of the Leading Research Center Support Project led by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the National Research Foundation of Korea and the research results have been published in January 13 issue of CELL, the prestigious journal of life sciences. CELL paid keen attention to the foundings and academic impact of the research paper, holding a separate press release on the research (Title of the research paper: Regulation of the catabolic cascade in osteoarthritis by the zinc·ZIP8·MTF1 axis)

 

□ The research confirmed that cartilage tissues suffering degenerative arthritis have abnormally high concentration of zinc than normal cartilage tissues and found out that zinc ion activates protein that causes cartilage degeneration in tissues.

 

o When cartilage tissues are strained with stress, they generate protein (ZIP8) that carries zinc ion into the tissues and this increase the volume of zinc ion transported into cartilage tissues and zinc ion activates the zinc finger transcription factor*(MTF1) within cell nucleus and MTF1 induces expression of matrix-degrading enzyme**(MMP, ADAMTS). With the process going, cartilage gets degraded and warned out.

 

* Zinc finger transcription factor means factors that get activated with increase in zinc ion concentration among proteins (transcription factors) that control gene expression. The factor works on the genes that control zinc constancy.

 

** Matrix-degrading enzyme is enzyme that degrades collagen and pro-teoglycan that form extracellular matrix in cartilage and includes MMP and ADAMTS.

 

o In the research, joints of mice with gene modified to generate more zinc ion transporter protein or more zinc finger transcription factor (MTF1), are more prone to degenerative arthritis while the disease is not found on mice with no gene modification.

 

 

□ The achievement is gaining attention of the academic and research community including the bio science journal, CELL as the research can be a breakthrough to set a new target of developing prevention and cure for degenerative arthritis by defining cell signaling system of cartilage tissues and unveiling the gene to control  expression of cartilage degrading factors.

 

o Revealing higher level molecule mechanism of cartilage degeneration in joints, the research is expected to open gates to research of generative arthritis prevention and fundamental cure with direct intervention on cartilage degeneration.

 

□ Professor Chun said “It is meaningful that the research reveals that excessive concentration of zinc, an essential mineral and cell signaling system are involved in cartilage degeneration.”