The effect of lithium and dexamethasone on fetal rat metatarsal bones transcriptome

While dexamethasone impairs bone growth and adds to the development of osteoporosis, lithium enhances cell renewal. The aim of this project was to explore the genes and pathways affected by adding dexamethasone, lithium or both to the medium in which fetal rat metatarsal bones were cultivated. RNA sequencing and differential gene expression analysis were implemented to describe the transcriptome of the metatarsals. We identified significant opposite as well as independent effects of the substances on several cellular pathways. This may open up to identify the mechanisms of dexamethasone induced bone growth and structure impairment and possible preventive measures.尽管地塞米松（dexamethasone）会损害骨生长并促进骨质疏松症（osteoporosis）的发生发展，锂（lithium）却可促进细胞更新。本研究旨在探究向培养胎鼠跖骨的培养基中添加地塞米松、锂或二者联合时所影响的基因与细胞通路。本研究采用RNA测序（RNA sequencing）与差异基因表达分析（differential gene expression analysis），对跖骨的转录组（transcriptome）进行了表征。研究发现，这两种物质对多条细胞通路存在显著的相反作用与独立作用。该结果可为阐明地塞米松诱导的骨生长与结构损伤机制，以及开发潜在防治手段提供新思路。