Increased type II collagen degradation and very early focal cartilage degeneration is associated with upregulation of chondrocyte differentiation related genes in early human articular cartilage lesions.

Abstract

Very early focal degeneration in knee articular cartilage is accompanied by upregulation of collagenase activity and expression of genes associated with chondrocyte terminal differentiation and matrix degradation. Thus chondrocyte differentiation may be closely related to the very early development of cartilage degeneration such as occurs in OA.