This paper reviews the molecular and cellular events during precartilage condensation and describes the application of a new retroviral gene transduction procedure. In micromass cultures, dissociated mesenchymal cells interact to form cartilage nodules. Cells first form small aggregates, then bigger clusters. Next, through rearrangement, they consolidate to form precartilage condensations which...

Light and electron microscopy are used in this study to compare chondrogenesis in cultured somites with vertebral chondrogenesis These studies have also characterized some of the effects of inducer tissues (notochord and spinal cord), and different nutrient media, on chondrogenesis in cultured somites Somites from stage 17 (54-60 h) chick embryos were cultured, with or without inducer tissues, ...

The clinical demand for cartilage tissue engineering is potentially large for reconstruction defects resulting from congenital deformities or degenerative disease due to limited donor sites for autologous tissue and donor site morbidities. Cartilage tissue engineering has been successfully applied to the medical field: a scaffold pre-cultured with chondrocytes was used prior to implantation in ...

The dorsal and ventral aspects of the turtle shell, the carapace and the plastron, are developmentally different entities. The carapace contains axial endochondral skeletal elements and exoskeletal dermal bones. The exoskeletal plastron is found in all extant and extinct species of crown turtles found to date and is synaptomorphic of the order Testudines. However, paleontological reconstructed ...

Aggregate culture provides a three-dimensional (3-D) environment for differentiating or differentiated cells; it is particularly useful to study in vitro chondrogenesis and cartilage biology. We have recently ported this method from a conical tube-based format to a 96-well plate format for the study of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) chondrogenesis. The microplate format has greatly reduced the wor...

Interactions between the epithelial anlage of the developing mouse inner ear and its associated periotic mesenchyme control the differentiation of the cartilaginous otic capsule. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) is a naturally occurring signal peptide that is present in these tissues at times of active differentiation and morphogenesis. Previous studies have shown that TGF-beta 1 ...

Hypertrophic differentiation occurs during in vitro chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), decreasing the quality of the cartilage construct. Previously we identified WNT pathway antagonists Dickkopf 1 homolog (DKK1) and frizzled-related protein (FRZB) as key factors in blocking hypertrophic differentiation of human MSCs (hMSCs). In this study, we investigated the role of endogenously...

Objectives: To explore the effects of cyclosporine (CsA) on skeletal development (chondro­ genesis). Anatomy Department, Shiraz Materials and Methods: Mesenchymal cells obtained from stage-23 to stage-24 chickUniversity of Medical embryo limb buds were grown in 96-well plates using chemically defined tissue-culture Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. medium. Cultures were treated with CsA (0.01–5.0 μg/ml) ...

We measured changes of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration during chondrogenesis, which occurs in high-density cultures (HDC) of chondrifying chicken mesenchymal cells. A significant, transient elevation was detected in Fura-2-loaded cells on day 3 of culturing, when majority of chondrogenic cells of HDC become differentiated. This 140 nM peak of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration is a result of increased C...

As a cell source with large quantity and easy access, peripheral blood mesenchymal stem cells (PBMSCs) were isolated and seeded in porcine demineralized cancellous bone (DCB) scaffolds, cultured in chondrogenic medium and evaluated for in vitro chondrogenesis. Bone marrow MSCs (BMMSCs) and articular cartilage chondrocytes (ACCs) underwent the same process as controls. The morphology, viability ...