Altered expression of selected genes in FSTL1 KO MSCs
| Gene | Change | Reported activity |
|---|---|---|
| BMP4 pathway | ||
| BMP4 | Down | Essential for early chondrogenesis, enhances the synthesis of type II collagen and aggrecan by articular chondrocytes in vitro2 |
| BMPER | Up | BMP4 inhibitor29 |
| GREM1 | Up | Potent BMP4 inhibitor30 |
| IGF pathway | ||
| IGFBP4 | Up | Expression is enhanced in human osteoarthritic cartilage31 |
| Wnt pathway | ||
| DKK3 | Up | Wnt antagonist, expression is decreased during differentiation of ATDC5 cells32 |
| WISP1 | Up | Negative regulator of TGFβ signalling33 |
| Other pathways | ||
| CTSK | Up | Reduces matrix production in cultured human chondrocytes in vitro34 |
| DLK1 | Down | Promotes the early commitment of MSCs to the chondrocytic lineage, prevents chondrocyte maturation and hypertrophy35 |
| ITM2A | Down | Involved in early stages of the chondrogenic differentiation pathway36 |
| PRELP | Down | Expression is increased in bone marrow MSCs during in vitro chondrogenesis37 |
BMP, bone morphogenetic protein; FSTL1, follistatin-like protein 1; IGF, insulin-like growth factor; KO, knockout; MSC, mesenchymal stem cell; TGFβ, transforming growth factor β.