Calcified Cartilage Matrix Research Articles

Immunohistochemical Examination of Epiphyseal Growth Plates of Japanese Brown Cattle with Chondrodysplasia

A new type of inherited chondrodysplasia is described in Japanese Brown cattle, but the basic defects of the epiphyseal growth plate (EGP) in the limb long bones, and proliferation and differentiation of the chondrocytes in the EGP, are not yet understood. In the present study, the EGPs of the limb long bones in eight cases of chondrodysplasia and four normal (control) cattle were examined histologically and immunohistochemically. In the control cattle, proliferative chondrocytes (PCs) and hypertrophic chondrocytes (HCs) were arranged in columns parallel to the long axis of the bone, and HCs were situated on the metaphyseal side of the EGP. In all the affected cattle, many chondrocytes with a hypertrophic appearance were detected in the inner areas of the central portion of the EGP. The PC columns were short and arranged irregularly. Bone tissue and small blood vessels were found frequently in these areas. Six affected cattle showed complete EGP-closure. Backscattered electron (BSE) imaging showed that the calcified cartilage matrix was restricted to the lower region of the hypertrophic zone (HZ) of the EGP in the control cattle, while the calcified cartilage matrix and bone tissue were scattered in the inner areas of the EGP in all the chondrodysplastic cattle. Immunohistochemistry revealed type X collagen in the HCs and cartilage matrix of the HZ in the control cattle. In all the affected cattle, type X collagen was detected in apparently hypertrophic chondrocytes in the inner areas of the EGP. Type II collagen was detected in the entire EGP in all the affected cattle, as in the controls. BrdU (5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine), injected intravenously 1h before euthanasia was detected in many PCs in the EGP in the control cattle; none, however, was detected in the central portion of the EGP in any affected animal. These observations indicate that differentiation into HCs and calcification of cartilage matrix occur in the inner areas of the central portion of the EGP in chondrodysplasia of Japanese Brown cattle. Differentiation into the HCs at this abnormal site may be caused by the inadequate proliferation and disorganization of the PCs. Premature EGP-closure, observed commonly in chondrodysplasia of Japanese Brown cattle, was thought to be caused by replacement of the calcified cartilage in the inner areas of the EGP by bone tissue.

Osteoclast differentiation and characteristic trabecular bone formation during growth plate destruction in osteoprotegerin-deficient mice.

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is an osteoblast-derived secreted member of the tumour necrosis factor receptor superfamily that inhibits osteoclastogenesis. Mice that are OPG-deficient have severe bone loss, including growth plate cartilage destruction. Using OPG-deficient mice as a useful animal model, we attempted to clarify differentiation and ultrastructural features of osteoclasts located on destructed growth plate cartilage and trabecular bone matrix. In the humerus and femur of OPG homozygous (-/-) mice, adjacent to the growth plate cartilage, bone trabeculae without a calcified cartilage core were characteristically formed at the metaphyseal side of the medullary cavity, which resulted in an irregular chondrocyte distribution and arrangement in growth plate cartilage. During growth plate cartilage destruction, osteoclasts positive for tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase showed unusual localization on both type-II collagen-positive cartilage and type-I collagen-positive trabecular bone matrix at the ossification centre of the epiphyseal/metaphyseal border. Although multinucleated osteoclasts were distributed within open lacunar canals in the growth plate, those on uncalcified cartilage matrix lacked a ruffled border. Facing the calcified cartilage matrix within lacunar canals, osteoclasts showed irregularly formed ruffled borders. After growth plate destruction, a thin bone layer was deposited on the remaining cartilage surfaces by invading osteoblasts. Osteoclasts formed prominent ruffled border structures on bone matrix, deposited on the remaining growth plate cartilage. These results suggest that, in OPG (-/-) mice, terminal osteoclast differentiation requires the presence of newly produced bone matrix, as the coupled phenomenon of bone formation and resorption, as well as osteoblast-derived cytokines.

Distinct Transglutaminase 2-independent and Transglutaminase 2-dependent Pathways Mediate Articular Chondrocyte Hypertrophy

Altered chondrocyte differentiation, including development of chondrocyte hypertrophy, mediates osteoarthritis and pathologic articular cartilage matrix calcification. Similar changes in endochondral chondrocyte differentiation are essential for physiologic growth plate mineralization. In both articular and growth plate cartilages, chondrocyte hypertrophy is associated with up-regulated expression of certain protein-crosslinking enzymes (transglutaminases (TGs)) including the unique dual-functioning TG and GTPase TG2. Here, we tested if TG2 directly mediates the development of chondrocyte hypertrophic differentiation. To do so, we employed normal bovine chondrocytes and mouse knee chondrocytes from recently described TG2 knockout mice, which are phenotypically normal. We treated chondrocytes with the osteoarthritis mediator IL-1 beta, with the all-trans form of retinoic acid (ATRA), which promotes endochondral chondrocyte hypertrophy and pathologic calcification, and with C-type natriuretic peptide, an essential factor in endochondral development. IL-1 beta and ATRA induced TG transamidation activity and calcification in wild-type but not in TG2 (-/-) mouse knee chondrocytes. In addition, ATRA induced multiple features of hypertrophic differentiation (including type X collagen, alkaline phosphatase, and MMP-13), and these effects required TG2. Significantly, TG2 (-/-) chondrocytes lost the capacity for ATRA-induced expression of Cbfa1, a transcription factor necessary for ATRA-induced chondrocyte hypertrophy. Finally, C-type natriuretic peptide, which did not modulate TG activity, comparably promoted Cbfa1 expression and hypertrophy (without associated calcification) in TG2 (+/+) and TG2 (-/-) chondrocytes. Thus, distinct TG2-independent and TG2-dependent mechanisms promote Cbfa1 expression, articular chondrocyte hypertrophy, and calcification. TG2 is a potential site for intervention in pathologic calcification promoted by IL-1 beta and ATRA.

Growth cartilage calcification and formation of bone trabeculae are late and dissociated events in the endochondral ossification of Rana catesbeiana

Endochondral ossification in the growth cartilage of long bones from the bullfrog Rana catesbeiana was examined. In stage-46 tadpoles and 1-year-old animals, the hypertrophic cartilage had a smooth contact with the bone marrow and the matrix showed no calcification or endochondral bone formation. In spite of showing no aspects of calcification, the chondrocytes exhibited alkaline phosphatase activity and some of them died by apoptosis. However, matrix calcification and endochondral ossification were observed in 2-year-old bullfrogs. Calcium deposits appeared as isolated or coalesced spherical structures in the extracellular matrix of hypertrophic cartilage. Bone trabeculae were restricted to the central area at the sites where the hypertrophic cartilage surface was exposed to the bone marrow. Cartilage matrix calcification and the formation of bone trabeculae were not dependent on each other. Osteoclasts were involved in calcified matrix resorption. These results demonstrate that the calcification of hypertrophic cartilage and the deposition of bone trabeculae are late events in R. catesbeiana and do not contribute to the development and growth of long bones in adults. These processes may play a role in reinforcing bony structures as the bullfrog gains weight in adulthood. In addition, the deposition of bone trabeculae is not dependent on cartilage matrix calcification.

Interleukin-1 Induces Pro-Mineralizing Activity of Cartilage Tissue Transglutaminase and Factor XIIIa

Two transglutaminases (TGases), Factor XIIIa and tissue TGase (tTGase), are expressed in temporal-spatial association with matrix calcification in growth plates. Meniscal and articular cartilage matrix calcification are prevalent in osteoarthritis (OA) and aging. Here, we demonstrated up-regulation of tTGase and Factor XIIIa in superficial and deep zones of knee OA articular cartilage and the central (chondrocytic) zone of OA menisci. Transforming growth factor-beta and interleukin (IL)-1beta induced Factor XIIIa and tTGase expression in cartilage and meniscal organ cultures. Thus, we studied TGase activity. Donor age-dependent, OA severity-related, and IL-1-induced increases in TGase activity were demonstrated in both knee menisci and cultured meniscal cells. Meniscal cell TGase activity was stimulated by nitric oxide donors and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, but transforming growth factor-beta did not stimulate TGase activity. The iNOS inhibitor N-monomethylarginine (NMMA) and an inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor (TRAF)2 and TRAF6 signaling (the zinc finger protein A20) suppressed IL-1 induction of TGase activity. Increased Factor XIIIa and tTGase activities, achieved via direct transfection of chondrocytic TC28 and meniscal cells, both induced matrix apatite deposition. Thus, Factor XIIIa and tTGase activities were increased in aging, degenerative cartilages and induced by IL-1. Because TGase activity promoted apatite deposition, our findings potentially implicate inflammation in the pathogenesis of cartilage matrix calcification.

Up‐regulated expression of the phosphodiesterase nucleotide pyrophosphatase family member PC‐1 is a marker and pathogenic factor for knee meniscal cartilage matrix calcification

Up‐regulated expression of the phosphodiesterase nucleotide pyrophosphatase family member PC‐1 is a marker and pathogenic factor for knee meniscal cartilage matrix calcification

Up-regulated expression of the phosphodiesterase nucleotide pyrophosphatase family member PC-1 is a marker and pathogenic factor for knee meniscal cartilage matrix calcification.

Elevated cartilage inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) production and PPi-generating nucleoside triphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase (NTPPPH) activity are strongly linked with aging-related cartilage calcification in meniscal and articular cartilages. We hypothesized that there were divergent relationships of 3 NTPPPH isozymes with cartilage matrix calcification and sought to identify them. We studied knee medial meniscal expression in situ of 3 NTPPPH isozymes of the phosphodiesterase nucleotide pyrophosphatase (PDNP) family: plasma cell membrane glycoprotein 1 (PC-1, or PDNP1), autotaxin (ATX, or PDNP2), and B10/PDNP3. We also used complementary DNA transfection to assess differential functions in matrix calcification of each NTPPPH isozyme in vitro in meniscal cells. We observed diffuse cell-associated ATX and B10/PDNP3 expression in central (chondrocytic) and, to a lesser degree, peripheral (fibroblastic) regions of normal, degenerative uncalcified, and degenerative calcified menisci. In contrast, PC-1 expression was only robust at sites of apoptotic cells and calcification in central regions of degenerative menisci. Only PC-1 was abundant at the perimeter of meniscal cells and in association with meniscal cell-derived matrix vesicles (MVs). Because each PDNP-family isozyme was expressed by cells near calcifications, we transfected the isozymes in nonadherent knee meniscal cells cultured with ascorbic acid, beta-glycerophosphate, and dexamethasone supplementation to stimulate them to calcify the matrix. PC-1, but not ATX or B10/PDNP3, consistently promoted increased MV NTPPPH, MV-associated PPi, and extracellular PPi. PC-1 also increased matrix calcification (with hydroxyapatite crystals) by meniscal cells. ATX uniquely induced alkaline phosphatase activity, but promoted only moderately increased matrix calcification. We identified divergent effects of 3 PDNP-family NTPPPH isozymes on meniscal cell matrix calcification. Increased expression of PC-1 is both a marker and a potential pathogenic factor for knee meniscal cartilage matrix calcification.

Histological disorders related to the focal disappearance of the epiphyseal growth plate in rats induced by high dose of vitamin A.

The histological disorders related to the focal disappearance of the epiphyseal growth plate were examined histochemically in the proximal tibia of rats administered a high dose of vitamin A. Animals were given 100,000 IU/100 g body weight/day of vitamin A for 5 days from 4 weeks after birth (VA rats) or given deionized water as control and sacrificed on Day 12 and 19 of the experiment. Tibiae were examined by immunohistochemistry for type I, II and X collagens, lectin-histochemistry for Helix pomatia and backscattered electron imaging. On Day 12, the abnormally developed calcified cartilage matrix was detected within the epiphyseal growth plate in VA rats. The uncalcified cartilage matrix contained type I collagen but lacked type II collagen. In addition, the eroded regions accompanied with numerous osteoclasts and osteoblasts were detected in the epiphyseal growth plate. On day 19, eroded regions penetrated the epiphyseal growth plate to result in its focal disappearances with the eroded surfaces entirely covered with bone tissue in VA rats. These findings suggested that the cartilage matrix of the epiphyseal growth plate was abnormally calcified and showed the phenotypes like bone matrix. The eroded regions of the epiphyseal growth plate seemed to be caused by the invasion of osteoclasts into the altered cartilage matrix and might develop to the focal disappearances by the modeling or remodeling due to action of osteoclasts and osteoblasts.

C-Myc and Mxi1 immunoreactivities in the calcifying areas of the epiphyseal-plate cartilage matrix of growing rats

We looked for the protooncogene protein, c-Myc, its dimerization partner, Max, and the repressors of its transactivation activity, Mad1 and Mxi1, in the epiphyseal-plate cartilage matrix of growing rats by immunocytochemistry in the electron microscope. c-Myc and Mxi1 immunoreactivities were found in the calcifying areas of the cartilage matrix only. There was no immunolabeling in response to anti-Max or anti-Mad1 antibodies. Mxi1 immunoreactivity was mainly in the early calcifying areas, in the calcification front and ahead of it, whereas c-Myc immunoreactivity was essentially in the incompletely calcified regions of the matrix. The two immunolabelings occurred mainly over the large type II collagen fibrils of the cartilage matrix and over the thin filaments connecting them. c-Myc and Mxi1 immunoreactivities were rarely found along the dark cristallites. There was no immunolabeling associated with the matrix vesicles, or in their immediate surroundings. The data suggest that the protooncogene proteins, c-Myc and Mxi1, could be implicated in the calcification involving type II collagen fibrils of the epiphyseal-plate cartilage. The absence of Max immunoreactivity from the calcifying cartilage matrix raises the question of whether there are other c-Myc- and Mxi1-dimerization partners.

Histochemical and immunohistochemical analysis of the mechanism of calcification of Meckel's cartilage during mandible development in rodents

It is widely accepted that Meckel's cartilage in mammals is uncalcified hyaline cartilage that is resorbed and is not involved in bone formation of the mandible. We examined the spatial and temporal characteristics of matrix calcification in Meckel's cartilage, using histochemical and immunocytochemical methods, electron microscopy and an electron probe microanalyser. The intramandibular portion of Meckel's cartilage could be divided schematically into anterior and posterior portions with respect to the site of initiation of ossification beneath the mental foramen. Calcification of the matrix occurred in areas in which alkaline phosphatase activity could be detected by light and electron microscopy and by immunohistochemical staining. The expression of type X collagen was restricted to the hypertrophic cells of intramandibular Meckel's cartilage, and staining with alizarin red and von Kossa stain revealed that calcification progressed in both posterior and anterior directions from the primary centre of ossification. After the active cellular resorption of calcified cartilage matrix, new osseous islands were formed by trabecular bone that intruded from the perichondrial bone collar. Evidence of such formation of bone was supported by results of double immunofluorescence staining specific for type I and type II collagens, in addition to results of immunostaining for osteopontin. Calcification of the posterior portion resembled that in the anterior portion of intramandibular Meckel's cartilage, and our findings indicate that the posterior portion also contributes to the bone formation of the mandible by an endochondral-type mechanism of calcification.

Regulated production of mineralization-competent matrix vesicles in hypertrophic chondrocytes.

Matrix vesicles have a critical role in the initiation of mineral deposition in skeletal tissues, but the ways in which they exert this key function remain poorly understood. This issue is made even more intriguing by the fact that matrix vesicles are also present in nonmineralizing tissues. Thus, we tested the novel hypothesis that matrix vesicles produced and released by mineralizing cells are structurally and functionally different from those released by nonmineralizing cells. To test this hypothesis, we made use of cultures of chick embryonic hypertrophic chondrocytes in which mineralization was triggered by treatment with vitamin C and phosphate. Ultrastructural analysis revealed that both control nonmineralizing and vitamin C/phosphatetreated mineralizing chondrocytes produced and released matrix vesicles that exhibited similar round shape, smooth contour, and average size. However, unlike control vesicles, those produced by mineralizing chondrocytes had very strong alkaline phosphatase activity and contained annexin V, a membrane-associated protein known to mediate Ca2+ influx into matrix vesicles. Strikingly, these vesicles also formed numerous apatite-like crystals upon incubation with synthetic cartilage lymph, while control vesicles failed to do so. Northern blot and immunohistochemical analyses showed that the production and release of annexin V-rich matrix vesicles by mineralizing chondrocytes were accompanied by a marked increase in annexin V expression and, interestingly, were followed by increased expression of type I collagen. Studies on embryonic cartilages demonstrated a similar sequence of phenotypic changes during the mineralization process in vivo. Thus, chondrocytes located in the hypertrophic zone of chick embryo tibial growth plate were characterized by strong annexin V expression, and those located at the chondro-osseous mineralizing border exhibited expression of both annexin V and type I collagen. These findings reveal that hypertrophic chondrocytes can qualitatively modulate their production of matrix vesicles and only when induced to initiate mineralization, will release mineralization-competent matrix vesicles rich in annexin V and alkaline phosphatase. The occurrence of type I collagen in concert with cartilage matrix calcification suggests that the protein may facilitate crystal growth after rupture of the matrix vesicle membrane; it may also offer a smooth transition from mineralized type II/type X collagen-rich cartilage matrix to type I collagen-rich bone matrix.

Changes in the irradiation sensitivity of cultured growth plate chondrocytes during cytodifferentiation

The effects of X-ray irradiation on the proliferation and differentiation of growth plate chondrocytes were examined. Chondrocytes were isolated from the ribs of 4-week-old New Zealand white rabbits and cultured as a packed mass in centrifuge tubes. The cells in the centrifuge tubes proliferated, matured and hypertrophied likein vivo chondrocytes. Irradiation at a dose as low as 3 Gy to proliferating chondrocytes significantly decreased the DNA content, alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) activity, and matrix calcification, without decreasing the proteoglycan content. Irradiation at 10Gy to mature chondrocytes caused significant decrease in ALPase activity and matrix calcification, although it did not have marked effects on DNA and proteoglycan contents. On the other hand, irradiation at 10Gy to hypertrophic chondrocytes did not cause any change in ALPase activity or cartilage-matrix calcification. These findings suggest that the irradiation sensitivity of chondrocytes changes during cytodifferentiation. Furthermore, the inhibition of ALPase expression and matrix calcification by irradiation proved to be independent of the suppression of proliferation.

Effects of X-ray irradiation on terminal differentiation and cartilage matrix calcification of rabbit growth plate chondrocytes in culture

The retardation of long bone growth caused by irradiation is thought to be closely related to the impairment of growth plate function, but its mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we examined the effects of irradiation on the terminal differentiation of growth plate chondrocytes and on calcification. Chondrocytes were isolated from the growth plate of the ribs of four-week-old rabbits and inoculated at a high density on a type-I collagen-coated dish. Following logarithmic proliferation, they reached confluence (premature chondrocytes), then matured (mature chondrocytes), and became hypertrophied (hypertrophic chondrocytes). 10 Gy or less irradiation of the premature chondrocytes potently inhibited the terminal differentiation and matrix mineralization. Irradiation inhibited chondrocyte hypertrophy and suppressed alkaline phosphatase induction and the expression of type-X collagen without changing the protein composition profile of any other cell layer. Premature cells had the highest radiosensitivity. The sensitivity was decreased as the cells differentiated; the effects of irradiation on hypertrophic chondrocytes with terminal differentiation-related phenotypes were reduced. This study showed that 10 Gy or less irradiation of growth plate chondrocytes impaired terminal differentiation and mineralization. Since chondroclasts and bone marrow cells invade only to the mineralized cartilage, the induction of calcification in cartilage matrices is one of the most important steps in endochondral ossification. Therefore, it is conceivable that the damage in the growth plate induced by irradiation could account for the subsequent abnormal bone and skeletal growth.

Effects of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate on chondrocyte terminal differentiation and cartilage-matrix calcification.

We examined the effects of cyclic AMP on terminal differentiation and calcification in rabbit growth plate chondrocyte cultures. Dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP), as well as 8-bromo-cAMP abolished the increases in chondrocyte size, alkaline phosphatase activity, type X collagen synthesis, 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor synthesis, the incorporation of 45Ca into insoluble material, and the calcium content. All of these occurred in parallel untreated cultures during the hypertrophic (terminal) stage. The inhibition of alkaline phosphatase by dbcAMP was detectable after 24 h, and this effect was reversible. dbcAMP and 8-bromo-cyclic AMP inhibited alkaline phosphatase induction and calcification at low concentrations (3-5 microM), whereas 10-30-fold higher concentrations were required to stimulate proteoglycan synthesis. These findings suggest that cAMP plays a crucial role in suppressing terminal differentiation of chondrocyte and cartilage-matrix calcification.

Effects of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate on chondrocyte terminal differentiation and cartilage-matrix calcification

Effects of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate on chondrocyte terminal differentiation and cartilage-matrix calcification

Localization of the Ca 2+-binding α-Parvalbumin and its mRNA in epiphyseal plate cartilage and bone of growing rats

This study describes the localization of α-parvalbumin, in undecalcified tibial epiphyseal cartilage and bone of growing rats by immunocytochemistry in the light microscope, and of parvalbumin mRNA by in situ hybridization. They were compared to the distribution of the calbindin-D9K and its mRNA in rat epiphyseal cartilage. All the chondrocytes of the epiphyseal cartilage were parvalbumin-immunopositive, but there was no parvalbumin immunoreactivity in the uncalcified or calcified extracellular cartilage matrix. The intensity of the immunostaining increased from the resting and proliferative to the mature and hypertrophic chondrocytes, with the greatest intensity in the terminal hypertrophic chondrocytes in the calcifying zone. The parvalbumin immunostaining was located in the cytoplasm, but no immunoreactivity was detected in any chondrocyte processes. The parvalbumin mRNA distribution and levels, as revealed by in situ hybridization, exactly mirrored those of the parvalbumin protein. In contrast to parvalbumin, calbindin-D9K and its mRNA appeared in mature chondrocytes and decreased in hypertrophic up to calcifying chondrocytes. Calbindin-D9K was located in the cytoplasm and all along the cell processes. In bone, the osteoblasts and the osteocytes of trabecular and compact cortical bones were immunoreactive for parvalbumin and contained parvalbumin mRNA. Parvalbumin lay in their cytoplasm, but there was no parvalbumin immunostaining in the extracellular uncalcified or mineralized bone matrix. The long processes of osteocytes, in compact bone only, were parvalbumin immunoreactive. Osteoclasts contained cytoplasmic parvalbumin immunoreactivity. Thus, the pattern of immunoreactive parvalbumin distribution indicates that the protein is not involved in the extracellular mineralization of cartilage and bone matrix. It appears to be associated with specific calcium-related intracellular functions in chondrocytes and in osteoblasts, osteocytes, and osteoclasts. As the highest cytoplasmic concentration of parvalbumin is in the terminal hypertrophic chondrocytes, parvalbumin could act as a calcium buffer to delay the death of chondrocytes. In compact bone, parvalbumin could also have a role throughout the osteocyte processes in regulating the fluxes of calcium ions for mineral homeostatis. ( Bone 17:121–130; 1995)

Ascorbate modulation of chondrocyte gene expression is independent of its role in collagen secretion.

During development and fracture repair, endochondral bone formation is preceded by an orderly process of chondrocyte hypertrophy and cartilage matrix calcification. Analysis of calcifying versus noncalcifying cartilage has identified several differences in matrix proteins; among these are appearance of a novel collagen, type X, and decreased synthesis of type II collagen, the major component of cartilage matrix. In addition, there is a marked increase in alkaline phosphatase, an enzyme expressed at high levels in all mineralizing tissues. Cultured chondrocytes can be induced to undergo these changes in gene expression and to produce calcified matrix by exposure to ascorbic acid. The mechanism by which ascorbate produces these changes has been examined by analyzing the effect of the vitamin on prehypertrophic chick embryo sternal chondrocytes. Nuclear run-on assays demonstrated that ascorbate alters mRNA levels in chondrocytes by changing the transcription rates. The fact that marked changes in mRNA levels require 1-2 days of ascorbate exposure suggested that the effect of this vitamin on gene transcription may be secondary to other, earlier ascorbate-induced effects. Since cells cultured with ascorbate produce a collagen-enriched matrix, we examined the hypothesis that transcriptional changes were secondary to altered cell-matrix interactions. Chondrocytes were cultured after attachment to tissue culture plastic, in suspension, or on plates coated with collagen type I. Comparison of alkaline phosphatase activity with and without ascorbate addition demonstrated that under all of these conditions, induction of enzyme was dependent on the presence of ascorbate. When plates containing ascorbate-conditioned chondrocyte matrix were used as substrate for naive chondrocytes, the cells continued to require ascorbate for induction of high levels of alkaline phosphatase and type X collagen mRNA. Addition of the hydroxylation inhibitor, 3,4-dehydroproline, caused marked inhibition of collagen secretion as well as accumulation of underhydroxylated collagens within the cells. However, even in the presence of this inhibitor ascorbate was effective in inducing elevated alkaline phosphatase and type X collagen. These results indicate that the ability of ascorbate to induce chondrocyte hypertrophy does not depend on production of a collagen-rich matrix.

Induction of bone‐related proteins, osteocalcin and osteopontin, and their matrix ultrastructural localization with development of chondrocyte hypertrophy in vitro

Endochondral bone formation occurs by a series of developmentally regulated cellular events from initial formation of cartilage tissue to stages of calcified cartilage, resorption, and replacement by bone tissue. Several studies have raised the question of the possibility that the hypertrophic chondrocytes associated with the calcifying cartilage matrix can acquire properties similar to osteoblasts. We have addressed this possibility by measuring synthesis within hypertrophic chondrocytes in vitro of two bone-related proteins, osteopontin and osteocalcin. Chondrocytes derived from chick embryo ventral vertebral tissue were cultured under conditions that promoted extracellular matrix mineralization and differentiation towards the hypertrophic phenotype as indicated by the induction of Type X collagen, alkaline phosphatase, and diminished expression of Type II collagen and the core protein of large proteoglycan. In these cultures, osteopontin synthesis was detected in early cultures in the absence of a calcified matrix; in contrast, an absence of the bone-specific protein osteocalcin was observed. However, with onset of development of the hypertrophic phenotype an induction of protein expression for osteocalcin was observed with a significant (twofold) increase in osteopontin. Maximal levels of osteocalcin synthesis occurred with the peak of alkaline phosphatase activity and Type X collagen mRNA levels. The levels of osteocalcin synthesis were induced fiftyfold from the earliest level of detection but this level was only one one-hundredth of that observed for mature chick osteoblast cultures. Osteocalcin and osteopontin were characterized by several criteria (electrophoresis, immunoblotting, chromatographic characteristics, and response to 1,25(OH)2D3) which confirmed their molecular properties as being identical to osteoblast synthesized proteins. The coordinate change in the cellular phenotype to the hypertrophic chondrocyte was shown to be concurrent with ultrastructural maturation of the cells and the accumulation of osteocalcin and osteopontin in the extracellular matrix associated with hydroxyapatite at sites of mineralization. Since the ultrastructural features of the cells in vitro and the extracellular matrix surrounding the lacunae have features of the hypertrophic chondrocyte and associated matrix in vivo, the induction of the bone-specific protein osteocalcin suggests that at least a population of these cells may develop osteoblastic phenotypic markers in association with mineralizing matrix. The detection of osteocalcin and the high level of synthesis of osteopontin may represent an advanced stage of chondrocyte hypertrophy or the possibility of a trans-differentiation of the chondrocytes to an osteoblastic-like cell.

High-resolution immunolocalization of osteopontin and osteocalcin in bone and cartilage during endochondral ossification in the chicken tibia.

The ultrastructural distribution of two noncollagenous proteins, osteopontin (OPN) and osteocalcin (OC), originally extracted from bone matrix and proposed to play an important role in bone formation, was examined in the matrices of bone and cartilage from embryonic and postnatal chicken tibial growth plates by high-resolution immunocytochemistry using the colloidal gold technique. In bone, immunolabeling patterns using polyclonal antibodies against chicken OPN and OC were generally similar in that both showed an intense, but regionally variable, labeling of mineralized bone matrix and small mineralization loci dispersed throughout the osteoid and containing prominent condensed organic material. Unmineralized osteoid showed weak-to-moderate labeling. In the mineralized bone matrix proper, labeling was predominantly associated with amorphous, electron-dense patches of organic material among the collagen fibrils. In growth plate cartilage, both proteins first appeared related to calcified cartilage in the hypertrophic zone, although the labeling patterns were somewhat different. For OPN, gold particles were mostly associated with an organic lamina limitans-like density containing condensed, filamentous organic matrix at the periphery of small nodules and large masses of calcified cartilage, with additional moderate labeling throughout the interior of the calcified cartilage. For OC, labeling was observed over filamentous structures throughout the calcified cartilage matrix, with some, but less, labeling at the periphery. In the lowermost zones of the growth plate, the major reaction using both antibodies was found over a layer of dense, amorphous organic material at the periphery of the calcified cartilage at the future bone/calcified cartilage interface, a labeling pattern that persisted following bone deposition at these sites. OPN and to a lesser extent OC were also concentrated in cement (resting, reversal) lines. Throughout the bone and cartilage of the tibia, cells of both the osteoblastic and the osteoclastic lineages were found directly apposed to labeled surfaces and lamina limitans of organic matrix containing OPN and OC. In summary, it is concluded from the immunocytochemical data presented here that the association of OPN and OC with mineralized regions of the extracellular matrices of bone and cartilage and the accumulation of these proteins at tissue surfaces and interfaces are consistent with the hypotheses that they play a role in the extracellular mineralization process per se and/or that they may mediate cell adhesion and dynamics.

Effects of interleukin 1 and hyaluronic acid on the release of proteoglycans, induction of alkaline phosphatase and cartilage-matrix calcification in rabbit chondrocyte cultures

Effects of interleukin 1 and hyaluronic acid on the release of proteoglycans, induction of alkaline phosphatase and cartilage-matrix calcification in rabbit chondrocyte cultures