Susceptibility to cartilage degeneration increases in an age-dependent manner and older cartilage exhibits increased catabolic factor expression leading to osteoarthritis (OA). While inhibition of cellular senescence can prevent age-related diseases, the understanding of the regulators governing cartilage senescence and the potential for senolytic intervention remains limited. Here, in vitro and in vivo results are reported, demonstrating for the first time that the transcriptional regulator, ZMIZ1, is upregulated in aged and OA cartilage, and that it acts through GATA4 to accelerate chondrocyte senescence and trigger cartilage deterioration. Furthermore, it is shown that K-7174 interferes with the ZMIZ1-GATA4 interaction and effectively hampers cartilage senescence and OA. It is proposed that inhibition of the ZMIZ1-GATA4 axis could be a valuable strategy for eliminating senescent chondrocytes and impeding OA development and that the relevant inhibitor, K-7174, could potentially be developed as a senolytic drug for managing cartilage senescence and age-related degeneration.

The specialized cell types of the mucociliary epithelium (MCE) lining the respiratory tract enable continuous airway clearing, with its defects leading to chronic respiratory diseases. The molecular mechanisms driving cell fate acquisition and temporal specialization during mucociliary epithelial development remain largely unknown. Here, we profile the developing <i>Xenopus</i> MCE from pluripotent to mature stages by single-cell transcriptomics, identifying multipotent early epithelial progenitors that execute multilineage cues before specializing into late-stage ionocytes and goblet and basal cells. Combining in silico lineage inference, in situ hybridization, and single-cell multiplexed RNA imaging, we capture the initial bifurcation into early epithelial and multiciliated progenitors and chart cell type emergence and fate progression into specialized cell types. Comparative analysis of nine airway atlases reveals an evolutionary conserved transcriptional module in ciliated cells, whereas secretory and basal types execute distinct function-specific programs across vertebrates. We uncover a continuous nonhierarchical model of MCE development alongside a data resource for understanding respiratory biology.