Gene expression profiling in knee cartilage in a rat model of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative disease that leads to joint failure with pain and disability. Gene regulations are implicated in driving an imbalance between the expression of catabolic and anabolic factors, leading eventually to osteoarthritic cartilage degeneration. The different stages of disease progression are described by the complex pattern of transcriptional regulations. The dynamics in pattern alterations were monitored in each individual animal during the time-course of OA progression.骨关节炎（Osteoarthritis, OA）是一类慢性退行性疾病，会导致关节功能丧失，并伴随疼痛与残疾。基因调控异常被证实会驱动分解代谢因子与合成代谢因子的表达失衡，最终引发骨关节炎性软骨退变。疾病进展的不同阶段，可通过复杂的转录调控模式进行表征。在骨关节炎进展的时间进程中，研究人员对每只实验动物体内的调控模式动态变化进行了监测。