Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (669 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A set of twelve curved bones which connect to the vertebral column posteriorly, and terminate anteriorly as costal cartilage. Together, they form a protective cage around the internal thoracic organs.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Rib.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Rib Cage
- Narrower topics
- Cervical Rib
- See also
- Tietze's Syndrome
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 11,885 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Ribs” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 1,244 of them (10.5%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 6,731 records.
Reviews account for 580 records (4.9%) and meta-analyses for 19. Randomized controlled trials number 43 (0.4%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 6,731 |
| 2000-2009 | 1,672 |
| 2010-2019 | 2,238 |
| 2020 onward | 1,244 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 580 | 4.9% |
| Meta-analyses | 19 | 0.2% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 43 | 0.4% |
Method: PubMed query "Ribs"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disrupted auto-regulation of the spliceosomal gene SNRPB causes cerebro-costo-mandibular syndrome | 2014 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 71 | cc by PMID 25047197 · DOI · PMC4109005 |
| Evidence of preserved collagen in an Early Jurassic sauropodomorph dinosaur revealed by synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopy | 2017 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 60 | cc by PMID 28140389 · DOI · PMC5290320 |
| Sox9+ messenger cells orchestrate large-scale skeletal regeneration in the mammalian rib | 2019 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 55 | cc by PMID 30983567 · DOI · PMC6464605 |
| Adamts4 coordinates the transcriptomic profile of primary rat costal chondrocytes | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 0 | cc by PMID 41736693 · DOI · PMC12933000 |
Disrupted auto-regulation of the spliceosomal gene SNRPB causes cerebro-costo-mandibular syndrome [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Elucidating the function of highly conserved regulatory sequences is a significant challenge in genomics today.
- Closing excerpt
- We provide evidence for the functional importance of this conserved intragenic element in the regulation of alternative splicing and development, and suggest that the evolution of such a regulatory mechanism has contributed to the complexity of mammalian development.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (128 words)
Elucidating the function of highly conserved regulatory sequences is a significant challenge in genomics today. Certain intragenic highly conserved elements have been associated with regulating levels of core components of the spliceosome and alternative splicing of downstream genes. Here we identify mutations in one such element, a regulatory alternative exon of SNRPB as the cause of cerebro-costo-mandibular syndrome. This exon contains a premature termination codon that triggers nonsense-mediated mRNA decay when included in the transcript. These mutations cause increased inclusion of the alternative exon and decreased overall expression of SNRPB. We provide evidence for the functional importance of this conserved intragenic element in the regulation of alternative splicing and development, and suggest that the evolution of such a regulatory mechanism has contributed to the complexity of mammalian development.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 25047197 · DOI · PMC4109005
Evidence of preserved collagen in an Early Jurassic sauropodomorph dinosaur revealed by synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopy [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Fossilized organic remains are important sources of information because they provide a unique form of biological and evolutionary information, and have the long-term potential for genomic explorations.
- Closing excerpt
- We propose that these particles likely had a crucial role in the preservation of the proteins, and may be remnants partially contributed from haemoglobin and other iron-rich proteins from the original blood.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (151 words)
Fossilized organic remains are important sources of information because they provide a unique form of biological and evolutionary information, and have the long-term potential for genomic explorations. Here we report evidence of protein preservation in a terrestrial vertebrate found inside the vascular canals of a rib of a 195-million-year-old sauropodomorph dinosaur, where blood vessels and nerves would normally have been present in the living organism. The in situ synchrotron radiation-based Fourier transform infrared (SR-FTIR) spectra exhibit the characteristic infrared absorption bands for amide A and B, amide I, II and III of collagen. Aggregated haematite particles (α-Fe2O3) about 6∼8 μm in diameter are also identified inside the vascular canals using confocal Raman microscopy, where the organic remains were preserved. We propose that these particles likely had a crucial role in the preservation of the proteins, and may be remnants partially contributed from haemoglobin and other iron-rich proteins from the original blood.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 28140389 · DOI · PMC5290320
Sox9+ messenger cells orchestrate large-scale skeletal regeneration in the mammalian rib [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Most bones in mammals display a limited capacity for natural large-scale repair.
- Closing excerpt
- The Reviewing Editor's assessment is that all the issues have been addressed (see decision letter).
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (188 words)
Most bones in mammals display a limited capacity for natural large-scale repair. The ribs are a notable exception, yet the source of their remarkable regenerative ability remains unknown. Here, we identify a Sox9-expressing periosteal subpopulation that orchestrates large-scale regeneration of murine rib bones. Deletion of the obligate Hedgehog co-receptor, Smoothened, in Sox9-expressing cells prior to injury results in a near-complete loss of callus formation and rib bone regeneration. In contrast to its role in development, Hedgehog signaling is dispensable for the proliferative expansion of callus cells in response to injury. Instead, Sox9-positive lineage cells require Hh signaling to stimulate neighboring cells to differentiate via an unknown signal into a skeletal cell type with dual chondrocyte/osteoblast properties. This type of callus cell may be critical for bridging large bone injuries. Thus despite contributing to only a subset of callus cells, Sox9-positive progenitors play a major role in orchestrating large-scale bone regeneration.Editorial noteThis article has been through an editorial process in which the authors decide how to respond to the issues raised during peer review. The Reviewing Editor's assessment is that all the issues have been addressed (see decision letter).
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 30983567 · DOI · PMC6464605
Adamts4 coordinates the transcriptomic profile of primary rat costal chondrocytes [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Chondrocytes play a pivotal role in cartilage tissue engineering.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings warrant further investigation of the crucial target genes of ADAMTS4 in the regulation of human chondrocyte behaviors.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (202 words)
Chondrocytes play a pivotal role in cartilage tissue engineering. ADAMTS4 gene encodes aggrecanase-1, which is known to affect chondrocyte biology by regulating aggrecan degradation. However, the molecular mechanism by which ADAMTS4 regulates chondrocyte phenotype remains unclear. To comprehensively investigate Adamts4-regulated genes in primary rat costal chondrocytes, we conducted siRNA-mediated Adamts4 knockdown alongside RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), co-immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectrometry (CO-IP/MS), and enhanced RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (iRIP-seq). Our results demonstrated that Adamts4 knockdown did not affect chondrocyte apoptosis. However, Adamts4 silencing markedly changed the expression levels of numerous genes linked to cell differentiation and cell cycle progression. CO-IP/MS experiments showed that Adamts4 extensively interacted with RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in rat chondrocytes. iRIP-seq data suggested that Adamts4 bound to a large number of transcripts, especially those with AU-rich motifs at coding regions. Most interestingly, we found three genes Hmox1, Acan, and Col2a1, which were deregulated upon Adamts4 silencing and enriched in the Adamts4 RIP samples. Altogether, these results indicate that Adamts4 knockdown remarkably modulates the transcriptomic profile of rat chondrocytes. Interactions with RBPs or target mRNAs might contribute to Adamts4-mediated alterations in gene expression. These findings warrant further investigation of the crucial target genes of ADAMTS4 in the regulation of human chondrocyte behaviors.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41736693 · DOI · PMC12933000
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article The growing spine: how spinal deformities influence normal spine and thoracic cage growth [5]
- Research article Traumatic Rib Injury: Patterns, Imaging Pitfalls, Complications, and Treatment [6]
- Research article A review of craniofacial disorders caused by spliceosomal defects [7]
- Research article Pediatric ribs: a spectrum of abnormalities [8]
- Research article Supernumerary ribs in developmental toxicity bioassays and in human populations: incidence and biological significance [9]
- Research article Segmentation anomalies of the vertebras and ribs: a developmental field defect: epidemiologic evidence [10]
References
- Lynch DC, Revil T, Schwartzentruber J, Bhoj EJ, Innes AM, Lamont RE, et al.. Disrupted auto-regulation of the spliceosomal gene SNRPB causes cerebro-costo-mandibular syndrome. . 2014. PMID 25047197 · DOI · PMC4109005
- Lee YC, Chiang CC, Huang PY, Chung CY, Huang TD, Wang CC, et al.. Evidence of preserved collagen in an Early Jurassic sauropodomorph dinosaur revealed by synchrotron FTIR microspectroscopy. . 2017. PMID 28140389 · DOI · PMC5290320
- Kuwahara ST, Serowoky MA, Vakhshori V, Tripuraneni N, Hegde NV, Lieberman JR, et al.. Sox9+ messenger cells orchestrate large-scale skeletal regeneration in the mammalian rib. . 2019. PMID 30983567 · DOI · PMC6464605
- Wei Z, Chen Y, Kou W, Zhang Y, Sha W, Guo R, et al.. Adamts4 coordinates the transcriptomic profile of primary rat costal chondrocytes. . 2026. PMID 41736693 · DOI · PMC12933000
- Dimeglio A, Canavese F. The growing spine: how spinal deformities influence normal spine and thoracic cage growth. Eur Spine J. 2012. PMID 21874626 · DOI · PMC3252439
- Talbot BS, Gange CP, Chaturvedi A, Klionsky N, Hobbs SK, Chaturvedi A. Traumatic Rib Injury: Patterns, Imaging Pitfalls, Complications, and Treatment. Radiographics. 2017. PMID 28186860 · DOI
- Lehalle D, Wieczorek D, Zechi-Ceide RM, Passos-Bueno MR, Lyonnet S, Amiel J, et al.. A review of craniofacial disorders caused by spliceosomal defects. Clin Genet. 2015. PMID 25865758 · DOI
- Glass RB, Norton KI, Mitre SA, Kang E. Pediatric ribs: a spectrum of abnormalities. Radiographics. 2002. PMID 11796901 · DOI
- Chernoff N, Rogers JM. Supernumerary ribs in developmental toxicity bioassays and in human populations: incidence and biological significance. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev. 2004. PMID 15586878 · DOI
- Martínez-Frías ML, Urioste M. Segmentation anomalies of the vertebras and ribs: a developmental field defect: epidemiologic evidence. Am J Med Genet. 1994. PMID 8172249 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.