Experimental study on gene expression profile of medial meniscus after resection of anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament

To explore the molecular mechanisms of meniscal degeneration after resection of anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament, we have employed whole genome microarray expression profiling as a discovery platform to identify genes with the potential role in the development of meniscal degeneration. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL) of the right rear limbs of Wuzhishan minipig was resected at the same time, and the left rear limbs was sham operated. There were significant differences in gene expression between the two groups. A total of 893 differentially expressed genes were identified, of which 537 were upregulated and 356 were downregulated. This study indicated that several molecular mechanisms were implicated in the development of meniscal degeneration, thus improving our understanding of meniscal degeneration and offering molecular targets for future therapeutic advances. Gene expression of medial meniscus was measured 26w after resection of anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament or sham operation. Seven experiments were performed at each group.