Table 3.

Correlation of the expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and osteoclasts' specific genes and RANK/RANKL/OPG genes

Gene mRNA	OSCAR		β3 integrin		Cathepsin K		TRAP		Calcitonin receptor		RANK		RANKL		OPG
Ligand/Receptor mRNA ratio	OP	OA	OP	OA	OP	OA	OP	OA	OP	OA	OP	OA	OP	OA	OP	OA
IL6/IL6R	-0.282	-0.215	0.587*	-0.363*	-0.451*	0.519**	-0.329	0.319	-0.431*	0.656**	-0.421	0.658**	0.083	0.619**	-0.147	0.529**
IL1A/IL1R1	-0.181	-0.156	0.239	0.137	-0.508*	-0.166	-0.350	0.021	-0.494*	-0.434*	-0.311	-0.301	-0.259	-0.258	-0.484*	-0.296
IL1A/IL1R2	-0.021	-0.380*	0.100	-0.005	-0.103	0.325	0.015	0.348	-0.084	0.207	0.027	0.305	-0.066	0.337	-0.491*	0.271
TGFB1/TGFBR1	0.054	-0.198	0.112	0.256	0.473*	-0.075	0.486*	0.048	0.302	-0.201	0.531*	-0.051	0.263	-0.208	0.027	-0.033
IL17A/IL17RA	0.007	0.030	-0.116	0.167	-0.491*	-0.081	-0.263	-0.084	-0.600**	0.087	-0.605**	0.002	-0.293	-0.009	0.068	0.021
IL17A/IL17RC	-0.140	0.010	-0.358	-0.070	-0.390	-0.154	0.213	-0.004	-0.600*	-0.095	-0.537*	-0.096	-0.005	-0.027	0.213	-0.004
IFNG/IFNGR1	0.198	-0.181	-0.601**	-0.062	0.119	0.205	-0.018	0.097	0.191	0.120	-0.070	0.207	-0.197	0.296	0.337	0.167
IFNB1/IFNAR1	0.224	0.006	0.095	0.188	-0.553**	-0.283	-0.453*	-0.290	-0.527**	-0.038	-0.580**	-0.202	-0.447*	-0.186	0.002	-0.070
IFNB1/IFNAR2	0.313	-0.049	0.013	0.107	-0.510*	-0.137	-0.430*	-0.152	-0.463*	0.064	-0.517*	-0.052	-0.456*	-0.035	0.043	0.063
TNF/TNFRSF1A	0.329	0.292	-0.038	0.018	-0.428*	-0.632**	-0.429*	-0.598**	-0.414*	-0.613**	-0.362	-0.631**	-0.356	-0.541**	0.192	-0.534**

OSCAR osteoclast associated immunoglobulin-like receptor. TRAP tartrate resistant acid phosphatase. RANK receptor activator of nuclear factor κB. RANKL RANK ligand. OPG osteoprotegerin.

The numbers are Spearman's rho coefficients for osteoporotic (OP) and osteoarthritic (OA) tissue. p values were obtained using nonparametric bivariate correlation analysis, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01. Significant positive correlations are underlined with bold line.