The Journal of Cell Biology, Vol 104, 311-319, Copyright © 1987 by The Rockefeller University Press
Effect of vanadate on cartilage-matrix proteoglycan synthesis in rabbit costal chondrocyte cultures
Y Kato, M Iwamoto, T Koike and F Suzuki
The effect of vanadate on proteoglycan synthesis by cultured rabbit costal
chondrocytes was examined. Rabbit chondrocytes were seeded at low densities
and grown to confluency in medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum,
and then the serum concentration was reduced to 0.3%. At the low serum
concentration, chondrocytes adopted a fibroblastic morphology. Addition of
4 microM vanadate to the culture medium induced a morphologic
differentiation of the fibroblastic cells to spherical chondrocytes, and
increased by two- to threefold incorporation of [35S]sulfate and
[3H]glucosamine into large, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans. The
stimulation of incorporation of labeled precursors reflected real increases
in proteoglycan synthesis, in that chemical analyses showed increases in
the accumulation of macromolecules containing hexuronic acid and hexosamine
in vanadate- maintained cultures. However, vanadate had only a marginal
effect on [35S]sulfate incorporation into small proteoglycans and
[3H]glucosamine incorporation into hyaluronic acid and chondroitinase
AC-resistant material. These results provide evidence that vanadate
selectively stimulates the synthesis of proteoglycans characteristically
found in cartilage by rabbit costal chondrocyte cultures.
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Facebook 
Reddit 
Technorati 
Twitter What's this?
