Abstract
BACKGROUND: Longitudinal skeletal growth takes place in the cartilaginous growth plates. While growth plates are found at either end of conventional long bones, they occur at a variety of locations in the mammalian skeleton. For example, the metacarpals and metatarsals (MT) in the hands and feet form only a single growth plate at one end, and the pisiform in the wrist is the only carpal bone to contain a growth plate. We take advantage of this natural anatomical variation to test which components of the PTHrP/Ihh feedback loop, a fundamental regulator of chondrocyte differentiation, are specific to growth plate function. RESULTS: Parathyroid hormone-like hormone (Pthlh), the gene that transcribes parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP), is expressed in the reserve zone of the growth plate-forming end of the MT. At the opposite end, the absence of a PTHrP+ reserve zone results in premature chondrocyte differentiation and Indian hedgehog (Ihh) expression. Pthlh is expressed in the reserve zone of the developing pisiform, confirming the existence of a true growth plate. CONCLUSION: A pool of PTHrP+ reserve zone chondrocytes is a defining characteristic of growth plates, and its patterning may be key to evolved differences in growth plate location in the mammalian skeleton.