Extracellular matrix ligand and stiffness modulate immature nucleus pulposus cell-cell interactions.

ABSTRACT: The nucleus pulposus (NP) of the intervertebral disc functions to provide compressive load support in the spine, and contains cells that play a critical role in the generation and maintenance of this tissue. The NP cell population undergoes significant morphological and phenotypic changes during maturation and aging, transitioning from large, vacuolated immature cells arranged in cell clusters to a sparse population of smaller, isolated chondrocyte-like cells. These morphological and organizational changes appear to correlate with the first signs of degenerative changes within the intervertebral disc. The extracellular matrix of the immature NP is a soft, gelatinous material containing multiple laminin isoforms, features that are unique to the NP relative to other regions of the disc and t

SUBMITTER: Gilchrist CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3210142 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature