Do novel immortal human cell lines reveal subpopulations in the nucleus pulposus?
Here we report the generation of clonal NP cell lines from nondegenerate human IVD tissue and present a detailed characterization of NP cellular subpopulations. Differential cell surface marker expression and divergent responses to differentiation conditions suggest that the NP subtypes may correspond to distinct maturation stages and represent distinct NP cell subpopulations. Hence, we provide evidence that the immortalization strategy that we applied is capable of detecting cell heterogeneity in the NP. Our cell lines yield novel insights into NP biology and provide promising new tools for studies of IVD development, cell function and disease.
Treatment strategies which increase calcium-dependent PLA2 activity may aid in reducing states of excess dopaminergic activity by activating second messenger systems rather than receptor blockade.