Much of the vertebrate skeleton arises from a cartilage template, which subsequently undergoes endochondral bone formation (Erlebacher et al., 1995; Hinchcliffe and Johnson, 1990). At the earliest stage of this process, mesenchymal cells condense to form a cartilage anlage. Initially, all chondrocytes within the anlage proliferate. Thereafter, cells in the center of this structure exit the cell...

The expression pattern for tissue transglutaminase (TG2) suggests that it regulates cartilage formation. We analyzed the role of TG2 in early stages of chondrogenesis using differentiating high-density cultures of mesenchymal cells from chicken limb bud as a model. We demonstrate that TG2 promotes cell differentiation towards a pre-hypertrophic stage without inducing precocious hypertrophic mat...

A recent breakthrough showing that direct trans-differentiation of chondrocytes into bone cells commonly occurs during endochondral bone formation in the growth plate, articular cartilage, and mandibular condylar cartilage suggests that chondrogenesis and osteogenesis are likely one continuous biological process instead of two separate processes. Yet, gene regulation of this cell transformation...

INTRODUCTION Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have immunosuppressive activity and can differentiate into bone and cartilage; and thus seem ideal for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Here, we investigated the osteogenesis and chondrogenesis potentials of MSCs seeded onto nano-fiber scaffolds (NFs) in vitro and possible use for the repair of RA-affected joints. METHODS MSCs derived from hea...

Nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) transcription factors regulate gene expression in lymphocytes and control cardiac valve formation. Here, we report that NFATp regulates chondrogenesis in the adult animal. In mice lacking NFATp, resident cells in the extraarticular connective tissues spontaneously differentiate to cartilage. These cartilage cells progressively differentiate and the tis...

UNLABELLED The effect of altered occlusion on the mandibular condylar cartilage remains unclear. OBJECTIVE This study investigated the effect of unilateral incisor disocclusion on cartilage thickness, on mitotic activity and on chondrocytes maturation and differentiation in the mandibular condylar cartilage of rats. DESIGN The upper and lower left incisors were trimmed 2mm every second day ...

Cartilage has a poor intrinsic repair capacity, requiring surgical intervention to effect biological repair. Tissue engineering technologies or regenerative medicine strategies are currently being employed to address cartilage repair. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are considered to be an excellent cell source for this application. However, the different gene expression profiles between the MSCs...

Intraflagellar transport proteins (IFT) play important roles in cilia formation and organ development. Partial loss of IFT80 function leads Jeune asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy (JATD) or short-rib polydactyly (SRP) syndrome type III, displaying narrow thoracic cavity and multiple cartilage anomalies. However, it is unknown how IFT80 regulates cartilage formation. To define the role and mechani...

Skeletal stem cells (SSCs) are a population of progenitor cells which give rise to postnatal skeletal tissues including bone, cartilage and bone marrow stroma, however not to adipose, haematopoietic or muscle tissue. Growth plate chondrocytes exhibit the ability of continuous proliferation and differentiation, which contributes to the continuous physiological growth. The growth plate has been h...