Fetal mesenchymal stromal cells differentiating towards chondrocytes acquire a gene expression profile resembling human growth plate cartilage

PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e44561. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044561. Epub 2012 Nov 5.

Abstract

We used human fetal bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hfMSCs) differentiating towards chondrocytes as an alternative model for the human growth plate (GP). Our aims were to study gene expression patterns associated with chondrogenic differentiation to assess whether chondrocytes derived from hfMSCs are a suitable model for studying the development and maturation of the GP. hfMSCs efficiently formed hyaline cartilage in a pellet culture in the presence of TGFβ3 and BMP6. Microarray and principal component analysis were applied to study gene expression profiles during chondrogenic differentiation. A set of 232 genes was found to correlate with in vitro cartilage formation. Several identified genes are known to be involved in cartilage formation and validate the robustness of the differentiating hfMSC model. KEGG pathway analysis using the 232 genes revealed 9 significant signaling pathways correlated with cartilage formation. To determine the progression of growth plate cartilage formation, we compared the gene expression profile of differentiating hfMSCs with previously established expression profiles of epiphyseal GP cartilage. As differentiation towards chondrocytes proceeds, hfMSCs gradually obtain a gene expression profile resembling epiphyseal GP cartilage. We visualized the differences in gene expression profiles as protein interaction clusters and identified many protein clusters that are activated during the early chondrogenic differentiation of hfMSCs showing the potential of this system to study GP development.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aborted Fetus / cytology
  • Cartilage / cytology
  • Cartilage / growth & development
  • Cartilage / metabolism
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Chondrocytes / cytology*
  • Chondrocytes / metabolism
  • Chondrogenesis*
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
  • Growth Plate / cytology
  • Growth Plate / growth & development*
  • Growth Plate / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Pregnancy
  • Signal Transduction
  • Transcriptome

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a grant from the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Research Unit and by grants from ZonMW, the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development, to S.A. van Gool (grant number 920-03-392) and J.A.M. Emons (grant number 920-03-358) and a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft to G. Rappold (Ra380/12-1). The authors gratefully acknowledge the TeRM Smart Mix Program of the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.