Cell surface vimentin presentation on articular chondrocytes - a novel marker of cellular senescence or in vitro artefact

Abstract

Purpose: Cellular senescence has been considered as a major process in osteoarthritic (OA) disease, causing the loss of the chondrogenic phenotype. In fact, senescent cells display a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) characterized by excessive cytokine, chemokine and matrix metalloprotease production. Identification of senescent cells is largely limited to either these secreted or intracellular (ß-galactosidase activity) markers. Therefore, we investigated one of the rare membrane-associated biomarkers, cell surface vimentin (CSV), on human articular chondrocytes (hAC).