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Histochemical localisation of versican, aggrecan and hyaluronan in the developing condylar cartilage of the fetal rat mandible
Author(s) -
SHIBATA SHUNICHI,
FUKADA KENJI,
SUZUKI SHOICHI,
OGAWA TAKUYA,
YAMASHITA YASUO
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of anatomy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.932
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1469-7580
pISSN - 0021-8782
DOI - 10.1046/j.1469-7580.2001.19820129.x
Subject(s) - versican , aggrecan , cartilage , condyle , mandible (arthropod mouthpart) , anatomy , temporomandibular joint , fibrocartilage , biology , proteoglycan , pathology , medicine , osteoarthritis , articular cartilage , alternative medicine , botany , genus
We investigated the histochemical localisation of versican, aggrecan and hyaluronan in the developing condylar cartilage of the fetal rat mandible at d 15–17 of gestation. At d 15 of gestation, immunostaining for versican was detected in the anlage of the future condylar process (condylar anlage), although the staining intensity showed a considerable regional variation. At d 16 of gestation, a metachromatically stained matrix firstly appeared in the condylar anlage. Aggrecan, hyaluronan and versican were simultaneously detected in this newly formed condylar cartilage. At d 17 of gestation, immunostaining for versican became restricted to the perichondrium and was barely detected in the cartilage. Colocalisation of versican and aggrecan was also seen in the cranial base cartilage at d 14 of gestation. These results indicate that although versican is replaced by aggrecan during the transition from prechondrogenic tissue to cartilage, both molecules were temporally colocalised in the newly formed cartilage. A hyaluronan‐rich, low‐versican area was identified in the posterior end of the condylar anlage during d 15–17 of gestation. The existence of this area is a unique structural feature of the developing condylar cartilage.