Abstract
Dupuytren's contracture (DC) is the most common inherited connective tissue disease of humans and is hypothesized to be associated with aberrant wound healing of the palmar fascia. Fibroblasts and myofibroblasts are believed to play an important role in the genesis of DC and the fibroproliferation and contraction that are hallmarks of this disease. This study compares the gene expression profiles of fibroblasts isolated from DC patients and controls in an attempt to identify key genes whose regulation might be significantly altered in fibroblasts found within the palmar fascia of Dupuytren's patients. Total RNA isolated from diseased palmar fascia (DC) and normal palmar fascia (obtained during carpal tunnel release; 6 samples per group) was subjected to quantitative analyses using two different microarray platforms (GE Code Link™ and Illumina™) to identify and validate differentially expressed genes. The data obtained was analyzed using The Significance Analysis of Microarrays (SAM) software through which we identified 69 and 40 differentially regulated gene transcripts using the CodeLink™ and Illumina™ platforms, respectively. The CodeLink™ platform identified 18 upregulated and 51 downregulated genes. Using the Illumina™ platform, 40 genes were identified as downregulated, eleven of which were identified by both platforms. Quantitative RT-PCR confirmed the downregulation of three high-interest candidate genes which are all components of the extracellular matrix: proteoglycan 4 (PRG4), fibulin-1 (FBLN-1) transcript variant D, and type XV collagen alpha 1 chain. Overall, our study has identified a variety of candidate genes that may be involved in the pathophysiology of Dupuytren's contracture and may ultimately serve as attractive molecular targets for alternative therapies.
Highlights
Dupuytren's contracture (DC) is the most common inherited disease of connective tissue in humans [1] and an autosomal dominant form of the disease was recently mapped to the long arm of chromosome 16 [2]
Cell Culture Dupuytren's contracture cords were surgically resected at St Joseph's Hospital and normal palmar fascia was obtained from patients undergoing carpal tunnel release within the Hand and Upper Limb Centre (HULC) clinic, London, Ontario, Canada
The present study was designed to identify differences in the gene expression patterns between primary Dupuytren's contracture-derived fibroblasts and primary carpal tunnel-derived control fibroblasts. This was achieved employing two different microarray platforms, the GE CodeLinkTM and IlluminaTM, using RNA extracted from primary cultures of carpal tunnel- and DC-derived fibroblasts within passages 2–5 of tissue culture (P2–P5)
Summary
Dupuytren's contracture (DC) is the most common inherited disease of connective tissue in humans [1] and an autosomal dominant form of the disease was recently mapped to the long arm of chromosome 16 [2]. The disease is characterized by the appearance of small nodules of hyperproliferative cells within the palmar fascia that, over time, give rise to large bands of contracted, collagenrich fibrotic tissue (diseased cords), a hallmark of the disease [3,4]. If left untreated, this disease may impose severe limitations on hand function.
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