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TGF-β and osteoarthritis—the good and the bad

Nature Medicine volume 19, pages 667–669 (2013)Cite this article

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Blockage of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling in subchondral bone after acute injury in rodents prevents aberrant bone remodeling and cartilage degeneration, suggesting that TGF-β signaling in bone may initiate osteoarthritis in some cases (pages 704–712).

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease characterized by articular cartilage degradation, subchondral bone sclerosis, reduced mobility and debilitating joint pain. Research aimed at understanding the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis has been confounded by the multifaceted etiology of the disease, which includes both environmental and hereditary risk factors, as well as the involvement of various tissues of the joint. Presently, acceptance of a unified theory of the initial dysfunction in osteoarthritis is lacking, with several areas of intense debate (see refs. 1,2). One question of contention is whether the disease starts in cartilage or bone3.

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Figure 1: TGF-β affects multiple joint tissues.

Katie Vicari

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  1. Jason R. Bush and Frank Beier are in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.,

    Jason R Bush & Frank Beier

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Correspondence to Frank Beier.

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Bush, J., Beier, F. TGF-β and osteoarthritis—the good and the bad. Nat Med 19, 667–669 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3228

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