Degeneration of the intervertebral discs, a process characterized by a cascade of cellular,
biochemical, structural and functional changes, is strongly implicated as a cause of low back …

Degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) is a normal part of aging. Due to the spine's
declining function and the development of pain, it may affect one's physical health, mental …

The factors necessary to maintain organ-specific progenitor cells are poorly understood and
yet of extreme clinical importance. Here, we identify the transcription factor SOX9 as the first …

Chordoma is a primary bone cancer with no approved therapy. The identification of
therapeutic targets in this disease has been challenging due to the infrequent occurrence of …

Maintain stemness, commit to a specific lineage, differentiate, proliferate, or die. These are
essential decisions that every cell is constantly challenged to make in multi-cellular …

SOX9 plays an important role in chondrocyte differentiation and, in the developing axial
skeleton, maintains the notochord and the demarcation of intervertebral disc compartments …

SOX transcription factors participate in the specification, differentiation and activities of many
cell types in development and beyond. The 20 mammalian family members are distributed …

Cells in multicellular organisms are surrounded by a complex three-dimensional
macromolecular extracellular matrix (ECM). This matrix, traditionally thought to serve a …

Study Design. Therapeutic treatment of intervertebral disc repair using cells. Objective. The
goal of the study was to test the hypothesis that repair of a damaged disc is possible using …

Sox9 is an essential transcription factor for the differentiation of the chondrocytic lineage
during embryonic development. To test whether Sox9 continues to play a critical role in …