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Report on the first international workshop on the CCN family of genes
  1. C Ayer-Lelievre1,
  2. D Brigstock2,
  3. L Lau3,
  4. D Pennica4,
  5. B Perbal5,
  6. H Yeger6
  1. 1Faculté de Medecine, 87025 Limoges, France
  2. 2Department of Surgery, Ohio State University, Colombus, Ohio 43205, USA
  3. 3Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
  4. 4Department of Molecular Oncology, Genetech, San Francisco, CA 94080 USA
  5. 5Laboratoire d'Oncologie Virale et Moleculaire,UFR de Biochimie,Université Paris 7-D. Diderot,2 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, FranceBernard.Perbal@wanadoo.fr
  6. 6Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine,Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1XG, Canada

    https://doi.org/10.1136/mp.54.2.105

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      The first international workshop on the CCN family of genes brought together 75 participants coming from essentially all laboratories working in this expanding field. The meeting was a great success, with exceptionally good quality scientific exchange, and many fruitful personal contacts being made.

      As can be seen in this meeting summary, major progress has been made in the fields of development and pathobiology. New aspects concerning the structural basis for some functions of the CCN proteins and their conservation emerged and most certainly constitute exciting avenues for future research in the CCN field.

      Role of the CCN proteins in developmental processes

      Several reports have confirmed the importance of CCN proteins in the chondrogenesis and ossification processes.

      Early studies by L Lau and collaborators had established that CYR61 was involved in chondrogenesis. The results that were presented at this meeting indicated that cyr61 is expressed in trophoblasts and spongioblasts and established a role for CYR61 in the formation of the chorion and its vascularisation, as shown by the effects of the recombinant CYR61 protein on cell proliferation, migration, and attraction of endothelial cells (as shown in in vitro cultures or grafts). Cyr61 knockout of mice resulted in embryonic lethality as a result of vascular defects in both embryonic and extraembryonic tissues.

      A major role for CYR61 appears to be in bone signalling. It is produced by mesenchymal cells and osteoclasts from fracture callus, in matured growth plate chondrocytes, in proliferating osteoblast cell lines, and in primary cultures. Moreover, expression of cyr61 is stimulated in osteoblasts by vitamin D3 and growth factors, all of which are important in bone metabolism (presented by N Scuhtze).

      Results presented by M Takigawa established that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF; highly expressed in chondrocytes, and designated Hcs28 by the authors) is involved in skeletogenesis not only during prenatal development but also under traumatic conditions …

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