Histological and Transcriptional Profiling Reveals Chondro-Osteogenic Trans-differentiation in Meniscal Mineralisation of the Domestic Cat (Felis catus) | ||
| Journal of Applied Veterinary Sciences | ||
| Volume 10, Issue 4, October 2025, Pages 96-103 PDF (380.61 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/javs.2025.416539.1717 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Nur Izzati Inani Zabiddin1; Md Zuki Abu Bakar2; Mohd Akmal Mohd Noor2; Mohd Faizal Ghazali3; Chai Min Hian3; Siti Mariam Zainal Ariffin* 1 | ||
| 1Department of Veterinary Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia | ||
| 2Department of Veterinary Preclinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia | ||
| 3Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, 22200, Besut, Terengganu Darul Iman, Malaysia | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Meniscal mineralisation is commonly observed in domestic cats. However, its biological significance and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to characterise the histomorphological features of meniscal mineralisation and evaluate the mRNA expression of key chondro-osteogenic trans-differentiation markers in the feline meniscus. A total of 20 menisci (10 mineralised and 10 non-mineralised) were collected from skeletally mature domestic cats with disease-free joints following gross examination, during which meniscal mineralisation was identified. Both mineralised and non-mineralised menisci were collected for subsequent histological and molecular evaluation. Histological examination with H&E and Alizarin Red staining revealed that mineralisation was confined to the cranial horn of the medial meniscus, with most mineralised tissues displaying chondro-osseous metaplasia. The mean area of the mineralised regions was 276.9 ± 227.9 mm². Only one sample exhibited intrameniscal ossification, characterised by trabecular bone and bone marrow spaces. The lateral menisci showed no evidence of mineralisation. Cellular density was not significantly different between groups (p=0.232). Quantitative PCR analysis revealed significantly increased expression of mRNA for COL10A1, MMP-13, TNAP, RunX2, and Sox9 in mineralised menisci compared to controls (p<0.001), with COL10A1 and MMP-13 showing 9- to 7-fold increases, respectively. These genes were associated with hypertrophic chondrocyte differentiation, extracellular matrix remodelling and mineral deposition, indicating an active chondro-osteogenic trans-differentiation process. Collectively, the findings provide novel evidence that a chondro-osteogenic trans-differentiation pathway drives meniscal mineralisation in the domestic cat. This study enhances the understanding of meniscal biology in felines and may offer insights into joint mineralisation processes across species. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Chondro-osteogenictrans-differentiation; Feline; Histology; Meniscal mineralisation; Stifle joint | ||
| References | ||
|
AGHAJANIAN, P., and MOHAN, S., 2018. The art of building bone: emerging role of chondrocyte-to-osteoblast trans-differentiation in endochondral ossification. Bone Research, 6(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41413-018-0021-z
ARENCIBIA, A., ENCINOSO, M., JÁBER, J. R., MORALES, D., BLANCO, D., ARTILES, A., and VÁZQUEZ, J. M., 2015. Magnetic resonance imaging study in a normal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris) stifle joint. BMC Veterinary Research, 11(1), 192. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-015-0532-4
ARIFFIN, S. M. Z. 2015. Radiographic and pathologic studies of feline appendicular osteoarthritis. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Glasgow, Scotland.
BOBRYSHEV, Y. V. 2005. Trans-differentiation of smooth muscle cells into chondrocytes in atherosclerotic arteries in situ: implications for diffuse intimal calcification. The Journal of Pathology, 205(5), 641–650. https://doi.org/10.1002/path.1743
CERVENY, C., and PARAL, V., 1995. Sesamoid bones of the knee joint of the Puma concolor. Acta Veterinaria Brno, 64(1), 79–82. https://doi.org/10.2754/avb199564010079
CHEN, N., WU, R. W. H., LAM, Y., CHAN, W. C. W., and CHAN, D., 2023. Hypertrophic chondrocytes at the junction of musculoskeletal structures. Bone Report, 19, 101698. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bonr.2023.101698
DARRIEUTORT-LAFFITE, C., ARNOLFO, P., GARRAUD, T., ADRAIT, A., COUTÉ, Y., LOUARN, G., TRICHET, V., LAYROLLE, P., GOFF, B. L., and BLANCHARD, F., 2019. Rotator cuff tenocytes differentiate into hypertrophic chondrocyte-like cells to produce calcium deposits in an alkaline phosphatase-dependent manner. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8(10), 1544. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8101544
DEBIAIS-THIBAUD, M., SIMION, P., VENTÉO, S., MUÑOZ, D., MARCELLINI, S., MAZAN, S., and HAITINA, T., 2019. Skeletal mineralization in association with type X collagen expression is an ancestral feature for jawed vertebrates. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 36(10), 2265-2276. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msz145
DENNIS, J. E., WHITNEY, G. A., RAI, J., FERNANDES, R. J., and KEAN, T. J., 2020. Physioxia stimulates extracellular matrix deposition and increases the mechanical properties of human chondrocyte-derived tissue-engineered cartilage. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 8, 590743. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2020.590743
DING, G., DU, J., HU, X., and AO, Y., 2022. Mesenchymal stem cells from different sources in meniscus repair and regeneration. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 10, 796367. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2022.796367
DUNCAN, H. F., KOBAYASHI, Y., YAMAUCHI, Y., QUISPE-SALCEDO, A., FENG, Z. C., HUANG, J., PARTRIDGE, N. C., NAKATANI, T., D’ARMIENTO, J., and SHIMIZU, E., 2022. The critical role of MMP-13 in regulating tooth development and reactionary dentinogenesis repair through the WNT signalling pathway. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 10, 883266. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2022.883266
FEDJE-JOHNSTON, W., TÓTH, F., ALBERSHEIM, M., CARLSON, C. S., SHEA, K. G., RENDAHL, A., and TOMPKINS, M., 2021. Changes in matrix components in the developing human meniscus. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 49(1), 207-214. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546520972418
FREIRE, M., BROWN, J., ROBERTSON, I. D., PEASE, A. P., HASH, J., HUNTER, S., SIMPSON, W., SUMRELL, A. T., and LASCELLES, B. D. X., 2010. Meniscal mineralisation in domestic cats. Veterinary Surgery, 39(5), 545–552. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-950X.2010.00648.x
GANEY, T. M., OGDEN, J. A., ABOU-MADI, N., COLVILLE, B., ZDYZIARSKI, J. M., and OLSEN, J. H., 1994. Meniscal ossification: II. The normal pattern in the tiger knee. Skeletal Radiology, 23(3), 173-179. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00197455
GU, J., LU, Y., LI, F., QIAO, L., WANG, Q., LI, N., BORGIA, J. A., DENG, Y., LEI, G., and ZHENG, Q., 2014. Identification and characterization of the novel Col10a1 regulatory mechanism during chondrocyte hypertrophic differentiation. Cell Death & Disease, 5(10), e1469-e1469. https://doi.org/10.1038/cddis.2014.444
JAVAHERI, B., CAETANO-SILVA, S. P., KANAKIS, I., BOU-GHARIOS, G., and PITSILLIDES, A. A., 2018. The Chondro-osseous continuum: Is it possible to unlock the potential assigned within? Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 6, 28. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2018.00028
KIRSCH, T., and WUTHIER, R. E., 1994. Stimulation of calcification of growth plate cartilage matrix vesicles by binding to type II and X collagens. The Journal of Biological Chemistry, 269(15), 11462–11469. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0021-9258(19)78146-0
LEFEBVRE, V., and DVIR-GINZBERG, M., 2017. Sox9 and the many facets of its regulation in the chondrocyte lineage. Connective Tissue Research, 58(1), 2-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/03008207.2016.1183667
LEIJON, A., LEY, C. J., CORIN, A., and LEY, C., 2017. Cartilage lesions in feline stifle joints – associations with articular mineralisation and implications for osteoarthritis. Research in Veterinary Science, 114, 186–193. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.rvsc.2017.04.008
MIRANDA, F. G., SOUZA, I. P., VIEGAS, F. M., MEGDA, T. T., NEPOMUCENO, A. C., TÔRRES, R. C., and REZENDE, C. M. 2020. Radiographic study of the development of the pelvis and hip and the femorotibial joints in domestic cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 22(6), 476–483. https://doi: 10.1177/1098612X19854809
MWALE, F., TCHETINA, E., WU, C. W., and POOLE, A. R., 2002. The assembly and remodelling of the extracellular matrix in the growth plate in relationship to mineral deposition and cellular hypertrophy: an in-situ study of collagens II and IX and proteoglycan. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 17(2), 275–283. https://doi.org/10.1359/jbmr.2002.17.2.275
PILLAI, I. C. L., LI, S., ROMAY, M., LAM, L., LU, Y., HUANG, J., DILLARD, N., ZEMANOVA, M., RUBBI, L., WANG, Y., LEE, J., XIA, M., LIANG, O., XIE, Y. H., PELLEGRINI, M., LUIS, A. J.,and DEB, A., 2017. Cardiac fibroblasts adopt osteogenic fates and can be targeted to attenuate pathological heart calcification. Cell Stem Cell, 20(2), 218–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2016.10.005
SEKARAN, S., VIMALRAJ, S., and THANGAVELU L., 2021. The physiological and pathological role of tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase beyond mineralisation. Biomolecules, 11(11), 1564. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom1111
VOSS, K., KARLI, P., MONTAVON, P. M., GEYER, H., 2017. Association of mineralisation in the stifle joint of domestic cats with degenerative joint disease and cranial cruciate ligament pathology. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 19(1), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X15606774
WALKER, M., PHALAN, D., JENSEN, J., JOHNSON, J., DREW, M., SAMII, V., HENRY, G. and MCCAULEY, J. 2002. Meniscal ossicles in large non‐domestic cats. Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound, 43(3), 249-254. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1740-8261.2002.tb00998.x
WHITING, P. G., and POOL, R. R., 1985. Intrameniscal calcification and ossification in the stifle joints of three domestic cats. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 21(4), 579–584. | ||
|
Statistics Article View: 119 PDF Download: 81 |
||
