Changes in gene activity may help drive neck and back pain by damaging the spinal discs that normally cushion the bones, according to research from the Universities of Edinburgh and Bristol reported by ScienceDaily.
In the study, zebrafish bred without a working copy of a collagen IX-related gene developed spine problems that resembled disc disease in people. As the fish aged, their vertebrae fused and minerals collected in the tissue between the bones, making it unusually hard.
The researchers found that the mineral buildup came after an early breakdown in a supportive scaffold layer in the developing spine. Their gene analysis also pointed to disruptions in fat processing, mTOR signaling, phosphate regulation and vitamin A signaling, all of which have been linked to abnormal mineral accumulation.
Several approaches reduced the damage in the fish, including a bisphosphonate medication already used to treat osteoporosis. The study also found less spinal fusion when the fish were fed less or given drugs that suppressed fat metabolism.
According to the researchers, the results highlight phosphate regulation and fat metabolism as promising targets for future treatments. The study was funded by Arthritis UK and BBSRC and published in Communications Biology.
