Collagen VI regulates pericellular matrix properties, chondrocyte swelling, and mechanotransduction in articular cartilage

Objective Mechanical factors play a critical role in the physiology and pathology of articular cartilage, although the mechanisms of mechanical signal transduction are not fully understood. We examined the hypothesis that type VI collagen is necessary for mechanotransduction in articular cartilage, by determining the effects of type VI collagen knockout on the activation of the mechano-osmosensitive calcium-permeable channel, transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4), osmotically-induced chondrocyte swelling, and pericellular matrix (PCM) mechanical properties.