Connective tissue growth factor deficiency in adult articular cartilage promotes cartilage degeneration at early timepoints in mouse posttraumatic osteoarthritis

Purpose: CCN2/CTGF (CCN family member 2/connective tissue growth factor, CCN2) is a matricellular protein that is expressed by chondrocytes in both healthy and osteoarthritic articular cartilage. It strongly promotes the production of cartilage matrix proteins, such as collagen type II and aggrecan, as well as stimulates chondrocyte proliferation, differentiation and maturation of growth-plate chondrocytes. The importance of CTGF on normal skeletal function is further demonstrated in CTGF null mice, which exhibit lethality at birth, possibly due to important skeletal defects.