bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.04.447121; this version posted June 4, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. Joint degeneration in a mouse model of pseudoachondroplasia: ER stress, inflammation and autophagy blockage Jacqueline T. Hecht1, 2, Alka C. Veerisetty1, Mohammad G. Hossain1, Debabrata Patra3, Frankie Chiu1, Francoise Coustry1 and Karen L. Posey1* Department of Pediatrics1 McGovern Medical School, and School of Dentistry2 at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, 77030 TX, USA, 3Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences Washington University at St. Louis, St. Louis, 63130 MO, USA To whom correspondence should be sent: Karen Posey, PhD Department of Pediatrics McGovern Medical School UTHealth 6431 Fannin Rm MSB 3.306 Houston, TX 77030 Phone: 713/500-5786 Fax: 713/500-5689 Email:
[email protected] *Denotes first and senior author. Key words: Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein, autophagy, ER stress, dwarfism, chondrocyte, articular cartilage, joint degeneration bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.04.447121; this version posted June 4, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. Abstract Pseudoachondroplasia (PSACH), a short limb skeletal dysplasia, associated with premature joint degeneration is caused by misfolding mutations in cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP). Here, we define mutant-COMP- induced stress mechanisms that occur in articular chondrocytes of MT-COMP mice, a murine model of PSACH.