title: Cells isolated from fetal rat calvaria by isopycnic separation express different collagen phenotypes.
abstract: Calvaria from 20-21 day old fetuses were obtained under sterile conditions and the endo- and exoperiosteum stripped off. Cells were dispersed by sequential collagenase-DNase treatment and suspended in 0.5% low Tm agarose in the presence of DMEM supplement with 10% FCS. After 4-5 days of incubation some 30% of these cells showed active synthesis of metachromatic extracellular matrix. Cells from skin, muscle and periosteum failed to show metachromatic matrix positive colonies to a comparable extent. The phenotypic expression of these cells was determined by analysis of collagen types. Eleven day old cultures were incubated in the presence of [3H]-proline plus beta-aminopropionitrile and ascorbic acid and the collagen extracted analyzed by polyacrylamide electrophoresis of their intact chains or CNBr-derived peptides. The results show that anchorage independence is a requirement for calvaria cells to express type II collagen. Type I collagen was preferentially expressed in monolayer culture or when pre-attached to a substrate before being cultured in agarose. Type II collagen was the predominant collagen when cells were cultured in agarose. Further characterization of cell populations was achieved by isopycnic centrifugation in a percoll gradient. Cell fractions were tested for their collagen phenotype when cultured in agarose. Cells recovered from densities 1.04 g/ml or higher synthesized type II collagen, while cells with densities lower than 1.04 g/ml synthesized mainly type I collagen. Isopycnic centrifugation appears to be a novel method for separation of phenotypically different cells from a heterogeneous population in fetal calvaria. The high density cell fractions may represent a mixture of pre-chondrocytes as well as pluripotential cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Villanueva
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Nishimoto
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Nimni
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003094:Collagen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D012886:Skull / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen