Chondroadherin Fragmentation Mediated by the Protease HTRA1 Distinguishes Human Intervertebral Disc Degeneration from Normal Aging
Chondroadherin, a member of the leucine-rich repeat family, has previously been demonstrated to be fragmented in some juveniles with idiopathic scoliosis. This observation led us to investigate adults with disc degeneration. Immunoblotting analysis demonstrated that non-degenerate discs from three different age groups show no chondroadherin fragmentation. Furthermore, the chondroadherin fragments