Sdc4 deletion perturbs intervertebral disc matrix homeostasis and promotes early osteopenia in the aging mouse spine

Transcriptional analysis of 6-month-old primary nucleus pulposus (NP) mouse disc tissues from wild-type (WT) and SDC4 KO mice, which harbor deletions of exon 2 to part of exon 5 that endcodes the N-terminal coding region. Breeder mice were provided by Dr. Michael Simons. SDC4's regulation of cytokine-dependent activation of the aggrecanse ADAMTS-5 is linked with inflammation-associated intervertebral disc degeneration. In this study, we aim to establish the role of SDC4 in matrix homeostasis under the context of aging. Tissues from the nucleus pulposus (NP) were harvested from the intervertebral discs of four WT and four SDC4 KO mice at 6 months of age. NP and AF tissues were collected from lumbar discs in each animal for RNA extraction and hybridization using Affymetrix microarray.