P120‐Catenin Mediates Intermittent Cyclic Mechanical Tension‐Induced Inflammation in Chondrocytes

ABSTRACT To study the role of the nuclear factor (NF)‐κB signaling pathway and P120‐catenin in the inflammatory effects of intermittent cyclic mechanical tension (ICMT) on endplate chondrocytes. Inflammatory reactions of endplate chondrocyte were measured by real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays, a dual‐luciferase reporter assay system, immunofluorescence, and Western blot analysis. ICMT loading led to inflammatory reactions of endplate chondrocytes in both the rabbit endplate cartilage model and rat endplate chondrocytes in vitro. Inhibition of NF‐κB signaling significantly ameliorated the inflammation induced by ICMT in endplate chondrocytes. Moreover, the expression of P120‐catenin was decreased by ICMT. However, over‐expression of P120‐catenin suppressed NF‐κB signaling and reversed the inflammatory effects. P120‐catenin prevents endplate chondrocytes from undergoing ICMT‐mediated inflammation by suppressing the expression of NF‐κB. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 4508–4516, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.