The Origin and Fate of Chondrocytes: Cell Plasticity in Physiological Setting

• Purpose of ReviewHere, we discuss the origin of chondrocytes, their destiny, and their plasticity in relationship to bone growth, articulation, and formation of the trabeculae. We also consider these processes from a biological, clinical, and evolutionary perspective.Recent FindingsChondrocytes, which provide the template for the formation of most bones, are responsible for skeletal growth and articulation during postnatal life. In recent years our understanding of the fate of these cells has changed dramatically. Current evidence indicates a paradoxical situation during skeletogenesis, with some cells of mesenchymal condensation differentiating directly into osteoblasts, whereas others of the same kind give rise to highly similar osteoblasts via a complex process of differentiation involving several chondrocyte intermediates. The situation becomes even more paradoxical during postnatal growth when stem cells in the growth plate produce differentiated, functional progenies, which thereafter presumably dedifferentiate into another type of stem cell.SummarySuch a remarkable transition from one cell type to another under postnatal physiological conditions provides a fascinating example of cellular plasticity that may have valuable clinical implications.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Cell- och molekylärbiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Cell and Molecular Biology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

None

Growth plate

Chondrocytes

Osteoblasts

Dedifferentiation

Transdifferentiation

hypertrophic chondrocytes

growth-plate

articular-cartilage

progenitor

cells

bone

evolution

identification

tissue

cre

differentiation

Endocrinology & Metabolism

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