title: Flow cytometric evaluation of cell cycle characteristics during in vitro differentiation of chick embryo chondrocytes.
abstract: The cell cycle kinetic characteristics of chick endochondral chondrocytes differentiating in vitro were studied by flow cytometry. In addition, the synthesis of type I and type X collagens of the same cells was evaluated by immunoprecipitation. Dedifferentiated cells, derived from chick embryo tibiae and grown attached to a substratum, were characterized by type I collagen synthesis, a high growth fraction (GF = 0.94), minimal cell loss factor (phi = 0.02), and a total cell cycle time of the proliferating cells of about 17 h (tG1 = 8 h, tS = 5 h, and tG2 + M = 4 h). Transfer of dedifferentiated cells to suspension culture on agarose-coated dishes induced differentiation to hypertrophic chondrocytes. These were characterized by type X collagen synthesis, a low growth fraction (GF = 0.52), maximal cell loss factor (phi = 1.0), and a total cell cycle time of the proliferating cells of about 73 h (tG1 = 53 h, tS = 12 h, and tG2 + M = 8 h). The transition from dedifferentiated chondrocytes to hypertrophic chondrocytes was accompanied by large increases of the duration of all the cell cycle phases and of the number of quiescent and degenerating cells. Associated with these alterations in cell cycle kinetics was a switch from type I to type X collagen synthesis. Further preliminary data suggest that the population of differentiating chondrocytes (a state between dedifferentiated and hypertrophic chondrocytes) comprises a heterogeneous population of fast and slow growing cells.
authors.affiliation: Lab. Biofisica, Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Giaretti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moro
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Quarto
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Vinci
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Geido
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cancedda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000378:metabolism; D002356:Cartilage / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D003094:Collagen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007399:Interphase; D007700:Kinetics; D008938:Mitosis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine