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2022, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (11): 1669-1674Identification and expression analysis of mouse nucleus pulposus specific markersZhang Lei1, Xiu Chunmei1, Ni Li2, Chen Jianquan1, 2
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Intervertebral disc degeneration is the main cause of low back pain, and nucleus pulposus cells play a vital role in intervertebral disc degeneration. A mouse model is an important animal model for studying the homeostasis and degeneration of the intervertebral disc. However, there is still a lack of systematic analysis of mouse nucleus pulposus specific markers. OBJECTIVE: To verify the expression and cell specificity of cytokeratin 19, glucose transporter 1, and glypican 3 in the intervertebral discs of mice at different stages and to explore the feasibility of the above proteins used as specific markers of the mouse nucleus pulposus. METHODS: Ten 6-week-old C57BL/6 male mice were randomly divided into a 2-month-old group and a 12-month-old group (n=5), and intervertebral disc samples were collected for subsequent analysis when the mice were raised to the corresponding months. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Safranin O&Fast Green staining were used to evaluate the histological integrity of the intervertebral discs. Immunofluorescence or immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the protein expression of cytokeratin 19, glucose transporter 1, and glypican 3 on the coronal slices of the intervertebral discs, and protein expression changes in mice of different ages were statistically analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Cytokeratin 19, glucose transporter 1, and glypican 3 were specifically expressed in the nucleus pulposus tissues of 2-month-old mice. Only cytokeratin 19 was specially expressed in the nucleus pulposus tissues of 12-month-old mice, whereas glucose transporter 1 and glypican 3 appeared in the nucleus pulposus cells as well as in the endplate. Therefore, cytokeratin 19, glucose transporter 1, and glypican 3 can all be expressed in the nucleus pulposus tissues from 2- and 12-month-old mice, but only cytokeratin 19 can serve as the nucleus pulposus-specific marker for both young and aged mice. Key words:nucleus pulposus, cytokeratin 19, glucose transporter 1, glypican 3, intervertebral disc degeneration, mouse, nucleus pulposus specific marker |