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Notochord to Nucleus Pulposus Transition

  • Skeletal Development (E Schipani and E Zelzer, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

A tissue that commonly deteriorates in older vertebrates is the intervertebral disc, which is located between the vertebrae. Age-related changes in the intervertebral discs are thought to cause most cases of back pain. Back pain affects more than half of people over the age of 65, and the treatment of back pain costs 50–100 billion dollars per year in the USA. The normal intervertebral disc is composed of three distinct regions: a thick outer ring of fibrous cartilage called the annulus fibrosus, a gel-like material that is surrounded by the annulus fibrosus called the nucleus pulposus, and superior and inferior cartilaginous end plates. The nucleus pulposus has been shown to be critical for disc health and function. Damage to this structure often leads to disc disease. Recent reports have demonstrated that the embryonic notochord, a rod-like structure present in the midline of vertebrate embryos, gives rise to all cell types found in adult nuclei pulposi. The mechanism responsible for the transformation of the notochord into nuclei pulposi is unknown. In this review, we discuss potential molecular and physical mechanisms that may be responsible for the notochord to nuclei pulposi transition.

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Acknowledgments

This paper was supported with funds from the national institute of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases (grant AR062690).

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

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Conflict of Interest

The authors of this paper declare they have no conflicts of interest

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

Dr. Lawson has nothing to declare.

All studies by Dr. Harfe involving animals were performed after approval by the appropriate institutional review boards.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Lisa Lawson & Brian D. Harfe

  2. Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Lisa Lawson & Brian D. Harfe

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  1. Lisa Lawson
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  2. Brian D. Harfe
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Correspondence to Brian D. Harfe.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Skeletal Development

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Lawson, L., Harfe, B.D. Notochord to Nucleus Pulposus Transition. Curr Osteoporos Rep 13, 336–341 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11914-015-0284-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11914-015-0284-x

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