Essential role of Mohawk for tenogenic tissue homeostasis including spinal disc and periodontal ligament

Abstract

Tendons and ligaments play essential roles in connecting muscle and bone and stabilizing the connections between bones. The damage to tendons and ligaments caused by aging, injury, and arthritis induces the dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system and reduces the quality of life. Current therapy for damaged tendons and ligaments depends on self-repair; however, it is difficult to reconstruct normal tissue. Regeneration therapy for tendons and ligaments has not been achieved, partly because the mechanism, cell biology, and pathophysiology of tendon and ligament development remain unclear. This review summarizes the role of the transcription factor, Mohawk, which controls tendon and ligament cell differentiation, in the maintenance of cell homeostasis, as well as its function in disease and the possibility of new therapeutic approaches.

Keywords:

• Tendon and ligament
• regeneration
• transcription factor
• development
• homeostasis

Acknowledgements

We thank Naoki Koda and all other members of the Asahara lab.

Conflict of interest

None.

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by AMED-CREST from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), KAKENHI [Grant numbers: 26113008, 15H02560, and 15K15544] from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and grants from the National Institutes of Health [Grant numbers: AR050631 and AR065379].