Abstract

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Author(s):: HUANG Shu; YANG Junjun; WU Jiangyi; ZHOU Yizhao; XIA Duo; LIU Renfeng; LIU Baorong; Department of Joint Surgery, Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital (the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), Changsha 410005, China

Keywords:: ; chondrocyte; cytoskeleton; two-dimensional monolayer culture; pellet culture; chondrocyte phenotype

Abstract:: Objective To investigate the effects of the changes of cytoskeleton on chondrocyte phenotype. Methods Rabbit articular chondrocytes were cultures in two-dimensional (2D) monolayer and three-dimensional (3D) pellet. We disrupted the tubulin, actin and vimentin of the cytoskeleton of chondrocyte for analyzing the relationship between cytoskeleton changes and chondrocyte phenotype. Results The vimentin disruption of chondrocyte didn’t cause any significant changes in the expression of type I collagen, but resulted in the decreased expression of type II collagen and aggrecan, and the decrease was greater for chondrocytes in 3D pellet culture than that in 2D monolayer culture. The tubulin disruption of chondrocyte showed little effects on the expression of type I collagen, type II collagen and aggrecan. The actin disruption of chondrocyte promoted the expression of type II collagen in chondrocyte in 2D monolayer culture not that in chondrocyte in 3D pellet culture. Conclusion Vimentin plays an important role in maintaining normal chondrocyte phenotype.