The results of a new study reveal that canonical β-catenin-dependent Wnt signalling induces the expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) in articular chondrocytes, and that IGF1 promotes the development and progression of osteoarthritis (OA). The findings suggest that reducing IGF1 could be a therapeutic strategy for OA.

The link between Wnt signalling and IGF1 was identified through analysis of genome-wide transcriptome datasets of human articular chondrocytes and validation experiments. The researchers then showed that Wnt signalling activation induced IGF1 gene and protein expression in articular chondrocytes, and that IGF1 is a direct target gene of Wnt signalling in these cells.