BMP2 Is Required for Postnatal Maintenance of Osteochondral Tissues of the Temporomandibular Joint

Objective Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) plays important roles in cartilage growth and development. Paradoxically, elevated levels of BMP2 leads to hypertrophic differentiation and osteoarthritis of cartilage. We examined the in vivo loss of BMP2 in cells expressing aggrecan of the mandibular condyle and knee. Design Three-week-old BMP2 flox/flox-CreER-positive mice and their Cre-negative littermates were treated with tamoxifen and raised until 3 or 6 months. We also investigated the direct effects of BMP2 on chondrocytes in vitro. Cells from the mandibular condyle of mice were treated with recombinant human BMP2 (rhBMP2) or rhNoggin (inhibitor of BMP2 signaling). Results Conditional deletion of BMP2 caused breakage of the cartilage integrity in the mandibular condyle of mice from both age groups, accompanied by a decrease in cartilage thickness, matrix synthesis, mineralization, chondrocyte proliferation, and increased expression of degeneration markers, while the effects at articular cartilage were not significant. In vitro results revealed that rhBMP2 increased chondrocyte proliferation, mineralization, and differentiation, while noggin induced opposite effects. Conclusions In conclusion, BMP2 is essential for postnatal maintenance of the osteochondral tissues of the mandibular condyle.