Gene Expression of Fibroblasts Derived from Knee Tissue of Patients Undergoing Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty for Osteoarthritis
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Arthrofibrosis is characterized by excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition that results in restricted joint motion after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Current surgical and pharmacologic treatment options are limited. Therefore, an in vitro model for joint myofibroblastogenesis is valuable to investigate the arthrofibrotic process and identify diagnostic biomarkers and treatment options. In this study, we obtained intraoperative posterior capsule (PC), quadriceps tendon (QT), and suprapatellar pouch (SP) tissue from knees of four patients undergoing primary TKA for osteoarthritis and characterized primary outgrowth cells from these tissues in the absence and presence of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1), a pro-myofibroblastic cytokine. Light microscopy of knee outgrowth cells revealed spindle-shaped cells while immunofluorescence (IF) established staining for the fibroblast-specific antigen TE-7 and Vimentin, which are characteristics of fibroblasts. These fibroblasts differentiate readily into myofibroblasts as highlighted by enhanced alpha smooth muscle actin (ACTA2) mRNA and protein expression and increased collagen mRNA (i.e., collagen type 1 (COL1A1) and collagen type 3 (COL3A1)) expression and collagenous matrix deposition in the presence of TGFβ1. Of note, these studies also revealed that knee-derived fibroblasts are more sensitive to TGFβ1-mediated myofibroblastogenesis than adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Importantly, while outgrowth fibroblasts isolated from four patients and three anatomical regions exhibit similar gene expression profiles, these knee fibroblasts form a unique gene expression cluster within the fibroblast niche as revealed by RNA-sequencing analysis. In conclusion, our study provides a fibroblast/myofibroblast model of outgrowth knee cells derived from patients undergoing primary TKA that can be employed to assess myofibroblast-related processes and test novel pharmacological strategies in vitro for arthrofibrosis.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE185333 | GEO | 2022/03/01
REPOSITORIES: GEO
ACCESS DATA