Emma Wessels
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Kurt Hankenson, Professor
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Orthopaedic Surgery, Michigan Medicine
Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021
Session: Session 2 (11am – 11:50am)
Breakout Room: Room 14
Presenter: 5
Abstract
Thrombospondins (TSPs) are proteins crucial to the development of bone. In mice with TSP1 and TSP2 knockout genotypes, referred to as double knock-outs (DKOs), exostoses, or bone growth outside of normal bone (particularly in soft tissues), and other abnormal skeletal growth phenotypes have been observed in the femoral-tibial joint, particularly the patellar region, specifically extending proximally in the quadricep tendon of older cohorts. To further explore these abnormalities, longitudinal radiographs of DKO mice and wild-types (WT), consisting of C57/Bl6 and functional WT were obtained. These X-ray images were taken of mice at 6 weeks, 9 weeks, 12 weeks, and 20 weeks old, in addition to images collected while conducting fracture research, which span from 13 to 94 weeks old. Mice from fracture surgeries consist of TSP1-null, TSP2-null, and CD47-null genotypes in addition to DKO and WT. All of the radiographs were then collated to compare development of these exostoses in relation to age and genotype, and semiquantitative analysis was performed to gain a better understanding of the severity of the observed abnormalities and determine the age at which they begin to develop. Overall, the current data leads us to conclude that exostoses is present by 24 weeks of age by radiography, with potential of developing even earlier.
Authors: Emma Wessels, Alexis Donneys, Lucas Junginger, Tristan Maerz, Kurt Hankenson
Research Method: Laboratory Research with Animals
