College - Author 1
College of Engineering
Department - Author 1
Biomedical and General Engineering Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Biomedical Engineering
Date
6-2012
Primary Advisor
Scott Hazelwood
Abstract/Summary
This project’s goal was to analyze the properties of the cortical femur on 100 mice bones from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Analysis was limited to imaging which determined the ratio of bone volume to total volume (BV/TV) and osteocyte lacunae density. Mice were altered to knock out their SOST gene: a negative regulator of bone formation. Twelve groups were created to differentiate their treatment, duration, and phenotype. Transgenic (TG) mice had an overexpression of the SOST gene: they carried a bacterial artificial chromosome. Mice with limb defects (DEF) were the offspring of two TG mice and carried twice the amount of SOST. Mice with SOST knockout (KO) treatment, knockout phenotype, and 12 months duration had a significantly lower BV/TV than all other groups except for WT SOST KO, 12 and 6 months: the p-value was 0.00. No mouse group had a significantly different osteocyte lacunae density: the p-value was .071. The results of a significant decrease in BV/TV was observed in the KO, 12 months because the mice had the longest time to fully develop the phenotype. The lack of a difference in the osteocyte lacunae density could be the result of an insufficient sample size.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/bmedsp/28