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Fibroblast growth factor stimulates colony formation of differentiated chondrocytes in soft agar
Author(s) -
Kato Yukio,
Iwamoto Masahiro,
Koike Tatsuya
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of cellular physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.529
H-Index - 174
eISSN - 1097-4652
pISSN - 0021-9541
DOI - 10.1002/jcp.1041330309
Subject(s) - fibroblast growth factor , growth factor , agar , biology , chondrocyte , rous sarcoma virus , microbiology and biotechnology , retinoic acid , bromodeoxyuridine , epidermal growth factor , cartilage , chemistry , biochemistry , cell culture , cell growth , anatomy , genetics , receptor , bacteria , gene
Abstract The effect of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) on the growth of chondrocytes in soft agar was examined. FGF induced colony formation by chick embryo and rabbit chondrocytes. The colony‐forming efficiency of FGF‐exposed chondrocytes was similar to that of Rous sarcoma virus‐transformed chondrocytes (15–20%). Other mitogenic agents tested, such as epidermal growth factor, insulin, insulin‐like growth factor‐I, and platelet‐derived growth factor, induced very low levels of colony formation. The induction of growth in soft agar of chondrocytes by FGF was not due to cells' phenotypic transformation, because chondrocytes grown in soft agar with FGF retained the ability to synthesize cartilage‐characteristic proteoglycan. FGF did not induce growth in soft agar of chondrocytes whose phenotypic expression was suppressed by retinoic acid or 5‐bromodeoxyuridine. In addition, FGF did not induce growth in soft agar of primary fibroblasts and normal rat kidney (NRK) cells. These results suggest that FGF selectively stimulates growth of differentiated chondrocytes in soft agar.