title: Cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration exhibits a characteristic temporal pattern during in vitro cartilage differentiation: a possible regulatory role of calcineurin in Ca-signalling of chondrogenic cells.
abstract: 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 Ca-influx and is indispensable to proper chondrogenesis, because addition of 0.8mM EGTA to culture medium on day 2 or 3 significantly decreased the intracellular Ca2+ concentration abolishing the Ca2+-peak of day 3 and inhibited cartilage formation. Uncontrolled Ca2+ influx evoked by a Ca2+ ionophore exerted dual effects on chondrogenesis in a concentration-dependent manner; 0.1mg/L A23187 increased, whereas 5 mg/L A23187 almost totally blocked cartilage formation. Intracellular Ca-stores seemed not to have any significant participation in the regulation of changes of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration of chondrifying cells. Activity of Ca-calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase, calcineurin responded to changes of intracellular Ca2+ concentration induced by EGTA or A23187 in a differentiation stage-dependent manner. Since inhibition of calcineurin with cyclosporine A eliminated the peak in the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration, an active regulatory role of calcineurin on Ca2+ influx of chondrifying cells can be supposed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Medical and Health Science Centre, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei krt. 98, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: Csaba
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Matta
authors.forename: János
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fodor
authors.forename: Zsolt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Szíjgyártó
authors.forename: Tamás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Juhász
authors.forename: Pál
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gergely
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Csernoch
authors.forename: Róza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zákány
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000001:Calcimycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D019703:Calcineurin / Q000378:metabolism*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology*; D002356:Cartilage / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism*; D004533:Egtazic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D055758:SOX9 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D055758:SOX9 Transcription Factor; D000001:Calcimycin; D004533:Egtazic Acid; D019703:Calcineurin; D002118:Calcium