To investigate the expression features of PDCD5 (programmed cell death 5 protein) in osteoarthritic and normal human cartilage, and speculate on its potential functions in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA).
Articular cartilage specimens were obtained from 30 patients with OA and 16 healthy patients at the time of arthroplasty. Expression of PDCD5 was detected by flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analysis.
Enhanced expression and nuclear accumulation of PDCD5 in OA chondrocytes were found. PDCD5-positive chondrocytes were mainly distributed in the superficial and deep zones of OA tissue sections, as opposed to, in the superficial and middle regions of normal healthy tissue sections.
Since apoptotic chondrocyte death occurs more frequently in OA cartilage than in normal healthy cartilage and PDCD5 is an apoptosis-related protein, the different expression patterns of PDCD5 in OA cartilage from that in normal healthy cartilage indicate that PDCD5 is involved in the pathogenesis of OA.