Joints in the appendicular skeleton: Developmental mechanisms and evolutionary influences.

We describe previous studies, and include new data, on the knee joints of aquatic axolotls that unlike those in higher vertebrates, are not cavitated, are filled with rigid fibrous tissues and resemble amphiarthroses. We show that when axolotls metamorph to life on land, their intra-knee fibrous tissue becomes sparse and seemingly more flexible and the articular cartilage becomes distinct and acquires a tidemark. In sum, there have been considerable advances toward a better understanding of limb joint development, biological responsiveness, and evolutionary influences, though much remains unclear. Future progress in these fields should also lead to creation of new developmental biology-based tools to repair and regenerate joint tissues in acute and chronic conditions. PMID: 30902250 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Current Topics in Developmental Biology - Category: Biology Authors: Tags: Curr Top Dev Biol Source Type: research