Project description:We report the single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) data for human neonatal and adult human intervertebral disc (IVD) scRNA-seq. We sequenced cells harvested from three IVDs of a neonatal baby and one IVD from an adult cadaver.
Project description:IVDs are composed of heterogeneous cell groups, a further understanding of marker genes and cell phenotypes of healthy mature IVD cells is essential.
Project description:Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is often the cause of low back pain. Degeneration occurs with age and is accompanied by extracellular matrix (ECM) depletion, culminating in nucleus pulpous (NP) extrusion and IVD destruction. The changes that occur in the disc with age have been under investigation. However, a thorough study of ECM remodelling is needed, to better understand IVD development and age-associated degeneration. As so, iTRAQ LC-MS/MS analysis of foetus, young and old bovine NPs, was used to define the NP matrisome. The enrichment of Collagen XII and XIV in foetus, Fibronectin and Prolargin in elder samples and Collagen XI in young ones was independently validated. This study provides the first matrisome database of healthy discs during development and ageing, which is key to determine the pathways and processes that maintain disc homeostasis. The factors identified may help to explain age-associated IVD degeneration or constitute putative effectors for disc regeneration.
Project description:Intervertebral Disc (IVD) degeneration leading to Low back pain (LBP) is the most common musculoskeletal disorder. Lack of knowledge on the intricate homeostatic mechanisms necessitates proteomic characterisation of a normal human IVD to understand the biological process and unravel the pathomechanisms of degenerative disc disease (DDD). In this study, we employed proteomic approach coupled with tandem mass-spectrometry to derive the comprehensive list of proteins expressed in true biologically normal control discs. This would serve as the basis for identifying the interacting molecules participating in significant biological processes and pathways disrupted during aging and degeneration.
Project description:The intervertebral disc (IVD) is a joint in the spine that facilitates daily physical activity, comprising of the central nucleus pulposus (NP), surrounded by the annulus fibrosus (AF) and sandwiched between two cartilage endplates that function together as a unit. Changes to the IVD occur with aging, most drastically in the NP where it experiences dehydration and loss of cellularity, directly impacting on the integrity of the biomechanical functions of the IVD. We were interested in examining the types of degraded proteins in young and aged disc samples to further understand the protein turnover in aging and homeostasis. We analysed the degradome for degraded proteins using terminal amine isotopic labeling of substrates (TAILS) Clinical specimens from spine surgeries for scoliosis (young samples, n=3) or degeneration (aged samples, n=3) were used in this study.
Project description:This study sought to elucidate the transcriptomic changes in the murine nucleus pulposus (NP) with age. These findings will contribute to the understanding of murine intervertebral disc (IVD) aging and degeneration.
Project description:The intervertebral disc (IVD) is a joint in the spine that facilitates daily movement, comprising of the central nucleus pulposus (NP), surrounded by the annulus fibrosus (AF) and sandwiched between two cartilage endplates that function together as a unit. Changes to the IVD occur with aging, most drastically in the NP where it experiences dehydration and loss of cellularity, directly impacting on the integrity of the biomechanical functions of the IVD. Whilst the static proteome reflects the long-term accumulation of proteins and their turnover over the lifetime of the IVD, this information may not reflect immediate cellular changes that may alter during the course of time. To gain a better understanding of cellular function and protein turnover in disc homeostasis (health) versus aging, we analysed the actively synthesized proteins using the SILAC approach. Clinical specimens from spine surgeries for scoliosis (young samples; NP n=2, AF n=4) or degeneration (aged samples; NP n=1, AF n=1) were used in this study.
Project description:Using high-precision transcriptomics to systematically map the atlas of human intervertebral disc (IVD) at single-cell resolution. Consequently, we found remarkable cellular diversity in the human IVD and identified a set of signature markers to recognize the cell types spatially. Furthermore, we deciphered a biological classification of chondrocyte subclusters with distinct role in the ECM homeostasis.Notably, the critical clues were also discovered for progenitor cells with bi-lineage differentiation trajectories in the nucleus pulposus, which discriminatively marked by the ancestry molecules PDGFRA and PROCR and highly enriched PDGF network. Finally, we uncovered the potential vital factors maintaining the IVD homeostasis from the intercellular crosstalk based on the signaling network landscape of the IVD microenvironment.
Project description:Research on disc degeneration has been heterogeneous in their use of control discs used for comparison with diseased discs. Discs from scoliosis, cadavers and voluntary organ donors are the common controls used in intervertebral disc research. In order to find out the ideal control among these discs, the characters of scoliotic discs and discs from MRI normal voluntary organ donors controls used in disc research has been analysed using proteomics and to establish 'True Controls' that can be utilized for future Intervertebral disc (IVD) research.