The Relationship between HELQ Expression and Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

Abstract

IntroductionDegeneration of the intervertebral disc, mainly of nucleus pulposus, is strongly implicated as a cause of low back pain. However, the mechanism of disc degeneration is not clear. This study is to investigate the expression level of HELQ protein in nucleus pulposus tissues and the relationship between HELQ expression and intervertebral disc degeneration. Materials and MethodsA total of 84 samples of lumbar intervertebral disc degenerated of different degree were obtained from patients undergoing lumbar spinal surgery for low back pain. Degeneration degrees of all samples were classified by radiological and histopathologic methods. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed to evaluate the expression level of HELQ protein in nucleus pulposus tissues. And the relationship between HELQ expression and radiological degeneration grades, histopathological degeneration grades of nucleus pulposus were analyzed. ResultsHELQ was expressed in human nucleus pulposus. The expression level of HELQ protein was significantly lower in nucleus pulposus with higher degeneration degree than those with lower degeneration degree. And HELQ expression level had significantly negative correlation with radiological degeneration grades(r = 0.333, p = yyyy0.002) and histopathological degeneration grade (r = −0.519, p = 0.000). However, no correlation were detected between HELQ expression and age (p = 0.374), gender (p = 0.063) or segments (p = 0.676). ConclusionThe results indicated that down-regulated expression of HELQ is a possible reason of intervertebral disc degeneration. Thus, targeting HELQ gene will be a new therapeutic strategy for patients with intervertebral discs degeneration.