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Thomas M. Hering, Ph.D.
Cartilage Molecular Biology
Our laboratory
uses cellular and molecular biological
approaches to study cartilage chondrocyte
biology in bovine, human and rabbit in-vitro
experimenal systems. Research in our laboratory
concerns: 1. Expression of recombinant aggrecan
in normal and glycosylation mutant cell lines;
Aggrecan is a large, complex and extensively
glycosylated structural proteoglycan molecule
critical to cartilage function. We are exploring
mammalian recombinant expression of this
molecule as a tool to explore aggrecan
biosynthesis. 2. Chondrocyte-specific
transcriptional regulation; We have cloned a
number of known and novel transcription factors
expressed in chondrocytes, and are investigating
their roles in cartilage during development,
normal homeostasis and tissue repair 3.
Mesenchymal stem cell gene expression during
lineage progression to chondrocytes; In
collaboration with Dr. Brian Johnstone (Depts.
of Orthopaedics and Anatomy), and Drs. Jung Yoo
and Victor Goldberg (Dept. of Orthopaedics), our
laboratory is analyzing gene expression of bone
marrow-derived mesenchymal cells during
chondrogenesis in-vitro. 4. Molecular biology of
cartilage repair; We are investigating
regulation of cartilage repair-specific gene
expression, as might occur in osteoarthritic
cartilage. This study includes investigating the
mechanism for upregulation of link protein and
aggrecan, the role of integrins in chondrocyte
cell-matrix interaction, and the role of novel
proteins expressed during repair.
Selected References:
Hering, T.M.,
J. Kollar, and T.D. Huynh. Molecular biology of
cartilage repair. In Osteoarthritis Disorders,
(K. Kuettner and V. Goldberg, eds.) American
Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Rosemont, IL,
329-340, 1995.
Hering T.M.,
T.D. Huynh, J. Kollar, and A. Huang. Complete
coding sequence of bovine aggrecan: Comparative
structural analysis. Arch. Biochem. Biophys.
345:259-270, 1997.
Johnstone B.,
T.M. Hering, A.I. Caplan, V.M. Goldberg, and J.U.
Yoo. In Vitro chondrogenesis of bone
marrow-derived Mesenchymal progenitor cells.
Exp. Cell Res. 238:265-272, 1998. |
