title: Comparison of phenotypic characterization between "alginate bead" and "pellet" culture systems as chondrogenic differentiation models for human mesenchymal stem cells.
abstract: Chondrogenesis involves the recruitment of mesenchymal cells to differentiate into chondroblasts, and also the cells must synthesize a cartilage-specific extracellular matrix. There were two representative culture systems that promoted the chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells. These systems were adaptations of the "pellet" culture system, which was originally described as a method for preventing the phenotypic modulation of chondrocytes, and the "alginate bead" culture system, which was used to maintain encapsulated cells at their differentiated phenotype over time, and also it was used to maintain the cells' proteoglycan synthesis at a rate similar to that of primary chondrocytes. We performed test on the differences of phenotypic characterization with the two methods of differentiating human mesenchymal stem cells into chondrocytes. The typical gene for articular cartilage, collagen type II, was more strongly expressed in the "alginate bead" system than in the "pellet" culture system, in addition, specific gene for hypertrophic cartilage, collagen type X, was more rapidly expressed in the "pellet" system than in "alginate bead" culture system. Therefore, the "alginate bead" culture system is a more phenotypical, practical and appropriate system to differentiate human mesenchymal stem cells into articular chondrocytes than the "pellet" culture system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752, Korea.
authors.forename: Ick Hwan
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Su Hyang
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yun Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyun Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Sung Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000464:Alginates; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D020219:Chondrogenesis; D003094:Collagen / Q000235:genetics; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D010641:Phenotype; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D003094:Collagen