1;List of Contents;6 2;Abstract;8 3;1 Introduction;9 3.1;1.1 Nutrient Sensing: A Fundamental Property of All Living Cells;10 3.2;1.2 Glucose: The Universal Energy Currency;11 3.3;1.3 Regulation of Glucose Metabolism by Feedback Regulation;12 3.4;1.4 Glucose Sensors: Lessons Learned from Other Organisms;13 4;2 Articular Cartilage: Structure, Function, and Pathophysiology;13 4.1;2.1 Normal Articular Cartilage Structure and Function;14 4.2;2.2 Loss of Articular Cartilage Structure and Function in Osteoarthritis;17 5;3 Does Arthritis Have a Nutritional Etiology?;21 5.1;3.1 Nutrition and Osteoarthritis;21 5.2;3.2 Nutrition and Osteochondritis Dissecans;22 5.3;3.3 Nutrient Diffusion in the Extracellular Matrix of Articular Cartilage;23 5.4;3.4 Cartilage Canals and Vascular Supply in Subchondral Bone;24 5.5;3.5 Joint Microcirculation;24 5.6;3.6 Diet Influences Cartilage Canal Development;25 6;4 Metabolic Dysfunction in Arthritis;25 6.1;4.1 Regulation of Cartilage Turnover by Nutritional and Endocrine Factors;25 6.2;4.2 Resistance to IGF-I Implicates Metabolic Dysfunction in OA;26 7;5 Glucose: An Essential Metabolite and Structural Precursor for Articular Cartilage;27 7.1;5.1 Glucose Metabolism in Articular Cartilage;27 7.2;5.2 Glycolysis, Glucose Metabolism, and ATP Production in Articular Cartilage;27 8;6 Mammalian Sugar Transporter Families: GLUT and SGLT;30 8.1;6.1 Physiological Roles of GLUTs 1-5;31 8.2;6.2 Physiological Roles of GLUTs 6-14;37 9;7 Molecular Diversity of Facilitative Glucose Transporters in Articular Chondrocytes;39 9.1;7.1 Functional Significance of GLUT1 and GLUT3 in Articular Chondrocytes: The Developmental Perspective;40 9.2;7.2 Functional Significance of GLUT1 and GLUT3 in Articular Chondrocytes: The Metabolic Perspective;45 9.3;7.3 Regulation of Hypoxia and Hypoxia-Responsive Gene Expression by the Transcription Factor HIF- 1a in Chondrocytes;46 9.4;7.4 Expression of HIF- 1a and GLUT1 in Normal and Osteoarthritic Articular Cartilage;48 9.5;7.5 Functional Significance of ATP-Sensitive (K ATP ) Potassium Channels in Articular Chondrocytes;54 10;8 Regulation of Glucose Transport by Nonsteroidal Anti- inflammatory Drugs;58 11;9 Glucose Transporters in the Intervertebral Disc;61 12;10 Glucose Transporter Expression and Regulation in Embryonic and Mesenchymal Stem Cells;65 13;11 Concluding Remarks;74 14;Acknowledgements;76 15;References;77 16;Index;93