Transcriptome analysis of heterotopic ossification mesenchymal stromal cells

Heterotopic Ossification (HO) is the abnormal formation of ectopic bone in soft tissues generally in muscles surrounding joints such hip, knee, elbow or shoulder. The etiology of this pathology is not known but it is well established that the risk of HO is increased after traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries and also after fractures or burns. Patients with HOs suffer from pain and the range of motion from limbs with ectopic bone is highly reduced. Currently, the only effective treatment for HOs is surgical resection but they can reoccur after resection underpinning that a better understanding of its pathophysiology is required to cure patients. To date, the nature of osteogenic precursor cells (of mesenchymal origin) forming HOs is not fully elucidated and remains to be defined. A transcriptional analysis of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from HOs would help identifying molecules that could be therapeutically targeted. Transcriptome analysis was performed on mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from HOs and amplified in vitro after 2 passages. Agilent Whole Human Genome Oligo Microarrays were used to compare expression profiling of MSCs from NHO patients and from bone marrow of healthy donors.