Dr Slavko Mojsilović, dr Ivana Okić-Đorđević, dr Aleksandra Jauković, dr Tamara Kukolj, dr Hristina Obradović, Anđelija Petrović, Milena Živanović

Institut za medicinska istraživanja Univerziteta u Beogradu

The role of tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) in osteoarthritis (OA) has not been fully clarified. High expression of TNAP as ectonucleotidase is associated with ATP degradation and production of adenosine, which can again trigger and support inflammatory calcifying conditions, but also decrease mineralization of the subchondral bone in OA. Thus, we anticipate that TNAP beyond its well-known contribution to mineralization, participates in profiling of cellular metabolism. To verify the assumption that TNAP controls metabolism of cells from OA patients, we attempt to apply genome editing (GE) techniques to silence and knockout Alpl gene in OA patient-derived mesenchymal stromal cells. We will perform Alpl gene silencing (commercially available siRNA) and CRISPR/Cas9 technique to establish OA patient-derived GE cell lines (clones) with Alpl gene silencing/knockout for investigation of metabolic roles of TNAP in OA patients.