Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42409266›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of biological chemistry2026

TGF-β2 drives lipid droplet accumulation in chondrocytes through the TβRI/p-smad3/fabp5 axis.

Jieya Wei, Caixia Pi, Yu Qi, Wenbin Yang, Jianxun Sun, Xin Xu, Jing Xie

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of biological chemistry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Jieya WeiState Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Caixia PiState Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Yu QiState Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Wenbin YangState Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Jianxun SunState Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Xin XuState Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Jing XieState Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Electronic address: xiejing2012@scu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chondrocytes preserve cartilage lipid homeostasis by storing neutral lipids in lipid droplets and controlling their turnover through coordinated biochemical signaling. TGF-β2 is elevated in osteoarthritis and regulates key chondrocyte functions, including proliferation, differentiation, and cell death. However, whether and how TGF-β2 regulates chondrocyte lipid metabolism remains unknown. Here, we characterize TGF-β2-regulated lipid droplet accumulation and delineate the underlying mechanism. TGF-β2 drives neutral lipid and lipid droplet accumulation in chondrocytes and cartilage through upregulation of Fabp5. This effect requires TGF-β2 signaling through receptor TβRI, which induces the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of Smad3, thereby promoting Fabp5 transcription. In this process, TGF-β2 induces enrichment of cellular lipid intermediates involved in lipid droplet accumulation. Collectively, our findings reveal a novel TGF-β2/TβRI/p-Smad3/Fabp5 signaling axis that regulates lipid storage in chondrocytes and suggest potential metabolic targets for maintaining cartilage homeostasis and treating related diseases.

Indexed as

ChondrocytesFatty Acid-Binding ProteinsLipid DropletsProtein Serine-Threonine KinasesReceptors, Transforming Growth Factor betaSmad3 ProteinTransforming Growth Factor beta2AnimalsHumansLipid MetabolismReceptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type ISignal TransductionFatty Acid-Binding ProteinsProtein Serine-Threonine KinasesReceptors, Transforming Growth Factor betaReceptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type ISmad3 ProteinTransforming Growth Factor beta2chondrocyteFabp5lipid metabolismosteoarthritisp-Smad3receptor TβRItransforming growth factor-β2

Identifiers

PMID42409266
PMCPMC13453483

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.