IBMS BoneKEy | Perspective

The genetic predisposition to osteoarthritis

Ana M Valdes
Timothy D Spector

---

DOI:10.1138/20090377

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent form of arthritis in the elderly. A large body of evidence, including familial aggregation and classical twin studies, indicates that primary OA has a strong hereditary component that is likely polygenic in nature. In recent years several linkage analysis and candidate gene studies have been carried out. However, only a handful of genes, such as FRZB, DIO2, and GDF5, have been found to be consistently associated with OA. In addition, a recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) found the prostaglandin-related genes PTGS2 and PLA2G4A to be associated with knee OA. In this Perspective, the molecular pathways affected by these genes and the impact that future genome-wide association scans can have on our understanding of the pathogenesis of OA are discussed.

---

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.