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Current Osteoporosis Reports
Published in: Current Osteoporosis Reports 6/2015

01-12-2015 | Skeletal Development (E Schipani and E Zelzer, Section Editors)

Articular Cartilage: Structural and Developmental Intricacies and Questions

Authors: Rebekah S. Decker, Eiki Koyama, Maurizio Pacifici

Published in: Current Osteoporosis Reports | Issue 6/2015

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Abstract

Articular cartilage has obvious and fundamental roles in joint function and body movement. Much is known about its organization, extracellular matrix, and phenotypic properties of its cells, but less is known about its developmental biology. Incipient articular cartilage in late embryos and neonates is a thin tissue with scanty matrix and small cells, while adult tissue is thick and zonal and contains large cells and abundant matrix. What remains unclear is not only how incipient articular cartilage forms, but how it then grows and matures into a functional, complex, and multifaceted structure. This review focuses on recent and exciting discoveries on the developmental biology and growth of articular cartilage, frames them within the context of classic studies, and points to lingering questions and research goals. Advances in this research area will have significant relevance to basic science, and also considerable translational value to design superior cartilage repair and regeneration strategies.
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Metadata
Title
Articular Cartilage: Structural and Developmental Intricacies and Questions
Authors
Rebekah S. Decker
Eiki Koyama
Maurizio Pacifici
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Osteoporosis Reports / Issue 6/2015
Print ISSN: 1544-1873
Electronic ISSN: 1544-2241
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11914-015-0290-z

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