Main description:

In three Volumes this mini book series presents current knowledge and new perspectives on cartilage as a specialized yet versatile tissue. This first volume provides a comprehensive overview on the basic composition and development of cartilaginous tissues followed by the description of the major signaling pathways which regulate cartilage morphogenesis and function.
This book addresses Professors, researchers and PhD students who are interested in musculoskeletal and cartilage biology.

Contents:

1. Physiology.- 1.1 Growth and development.- Andrea Vortkamp: Molecular control of cartilage differentiation.- Danny Chan or Maurizio Pacifici: Joint development.- Bent Brachvogel: Immunology and growth plate cartilage.- Christa Maes: VEGF in endochondral bone formation.- 1.2 Cartilage extracellular matrix.- Anders Aspberg: Proteoglycans of the cartilage extracellular matrix.- Peter Bruckner or John Bateman: Supramolecular structure of cartilage - the collagens.- 1.3 Biomechanics.- Peter Angele: Cartilage biomechanics.- Farshid Guilak: Biomechanics and cartilage repair.- 1.4 Chondrocytes and signaling.- Christine Hartmann: Chondrogenesis and Wnt signaling.- Kay Grobe: Hedgehog signaling and chondrocytes.- Frank Beier: Chondrocytes and the actin cytoskeleton.