The Persistence in the Synthesis of Type H Proteoglycan and Type II Collagen by Chondrocytes Cultured in the Presence of Chick Embryo Extract.

The effect of chick embryo extract on the phenotypic expression of differentiated chondrocytes has been studied in consideration of the fact that these cells are well characterized by certain specific cell products, such as type H proteochondroitin sulfate and type II collagen. In this study, we utilized floating chondrocytes derived from chick embryonic sterna, which can be cultured in suspension with no apparent change in the type of cell products for at least a period of eight weeks, as described in a previous paper (1). In the presence of chick embryo extract in the medium, the floating chondrocytes became attached to the bottom of the culture dish, and the attached cells took on a fibroblast-like appearance. Biochemical analyses of the proteochondroitin sulfate and collagen synthesized by the attached cells revealed that if the culture medium was renewed everyday, the cells having a fibroblast-like appearance continued to synthesize type H proteochondroitin sulfate and type II collagen. When however, the medium was replaced every other day, the synthesis of both proteochondroitin sulfate and collagen by the attached cells switched from the chondrocyte type to the fibroblast type, i.e. the synthesis of type M proteochondroitin sulfate and type I collagen, with little change in the fibroblast-like appearance. The results show that the morphological features of chondrocytes are not necessarily associated with the biochemical properties of these cells, and further suggest that, in chick embryo extract, there is no modulator capable of acting directly on the chondrocytes to bring about phenotypic changes with respect to the synthesis of collagen and proteoglycans.