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Agrin is highly expressed by chondrocytes and is required for normal growth

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Abstract

Agrin is a heparan sulfate proteoglycan that is best known for its crucial involvement in the organization and maintenance of postsynaptic structures at the neuromuscular junction. Consistent with this role, mice deficient of agrin die at birth due to respiratory failure. Here we examined the early postnatal development of agrin-deficient mice in which perinatal death was prevented by transgenic expression of neural agrin in motor neurons. Such transgenic, agrin-deficient mice were born at Mendelian ratio but exhibited severe postnatal growth retardation. Growth plate morpholgy was markedly altered in these mice, with changes being most prominent in the hypertrophic zone. Compression of this zone was not caused by reduced viability of hypertrophic chondrocytes, as no differences in the apoptosis rates could be observed. Furthermore, deposition of the major cartilage matrix components collagen type II and aggrecan was slightly reduced in these mice. Consistent with a role for agrin in skeletal development, we show for the first time that agrin is highly expressed by chondrocytes and localizes to the growth plate in wild-type mice. Our data show that agrin is expressed in cartilage and that it plays a critical role in normal skeletal growth.

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Acknowledgments

The expert technical assistance of Christiane Schulz and Gabi Mettenleiter is gratefully acknowledged. This work was financially supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (grants HA1652/1-1 and HA1652/1-2), by the Swiss National Science Foundation (to MAR) and the Canton of Basel-Stadt (to MAR).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedics, Division for Biochemistry of Joint and Connective Tissue Diseases, University of Ulm, RKU, Oberer Eselsberg 45, 89081, Ulm, Germany

    Heinz-Juergen Hausser & Rolf E. Brenner

  2. Biozentrum, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50-70, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland

    Markus A. Ruegg & Iwona Ksiazek

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  1. Heinz-Juergen Hausser
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  2. Markus A. Ruegg
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  3. Rolf E. Brenner
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Correspondence to Heinz-Juergen Hausser.

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Hausser, HJ., Ruegg, M.A., Brenner, R.E. et al. Agrin is highly expressed by chondrocytes and is required for normal growth. Histochem Cell Biol 127, 363–374 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-006-0258-2

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