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Sorting of growth plate chondrocytes allows the isolation and characterization of cells of a defined differentiation status
Author(s) -
Belluoccio Daniele,
Etich Julia,
Rosenbaum Sabrina,
Frie Christian,
Grskovic Ivan,
Stermann Jacek,
Ehlen Harald,
Vogel Simon,
Zaucke Frank,
Mark Klaus von der,
Bateman John F,
Brachvogel Bent
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of bone and mineral research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.882
H-Index - 241
eISSN - 1523-4681
pISSN - 0884-0431
DOI - 10.1002/jbmr.30
Subject(s) - sorting , isolation (microbiology) , characterization (materials science) , cell sorting , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , computer science , materials science , bioinformatics , immunology , nanotechnology , flow cytometry , programming language
Axial growth of long bones occurs through a coordinated process of growth plate chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation. This maturation of chondrocytes is reflected in a zonal change in gene expression and cell morphology from resting to proliferative, prehypertrophic, and hypertrophic chondrocytes of the growth plate followed by ossification. A major experimental limitation in understanding growth plate biology and pathophysiology is the lack of a robust technique to isolate cells from the different zones, particularly from small animals. Here, we report on a new strategy for separating distinct chondrocyte populations from mouse growth plates. By transcriptome profiling of microdissected zones of growth plates, we identified novel, zone‐specific cell surface markers and used these for flow cytometry and immunomagnetic cell separation to quantify, enrich, and characterize chondrocytes populations with respect to their differentiation status. This approach provides a novel platform to study cartilage development and characterize mouse growth plate chondrocytes to reveal unique cellular phenotypes of the distinct subpopulations within the growth plate. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research