Transcriptomics in the Study of Bone and Cartilage.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review article summarizes progress made using transcriptomics, in particular RNA-seq studies such as bulk, single cell (sc) and spatial sequencing results, in the study of bone and cartilage in the context of osteoarthritis (OA) and osteoporosis (OP) over the past two years.

RECENT FINDINGS: Recent advances in OA and OP research using advanced transcriptomics technologies have been crucial in the identification of cellular and molecular patterns of disease, facilitating a deeper knowledge of disease endotypes, mechanisms, and putative therapeutic targets. Increased use of public data repositories for hypothesis building and validation studies is an emerging theme in transcriptomics research, emphasizing the usefulness of growing transcriptomics databases to the research community. Due to unique challenges associated with bone and cartilage, it has been relatively difficult to deploy spatial sequencing in these tissues, however effective protocols for spatial sequencing have emerged, unlocking new potential for discovery.