Requirements for maintaining the embryonic state of avian tendon cells in culture

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1979 · In Vitro; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02619153· OSTI ID:6639236

Schwarz, R I; Farson, D A; Bissell, M J

Primary avian tendon cells (PAT) maintain their embryonic state when cultured in medium F-12 with very low serum (0.2%) and ascorbate (50 ..mu..g per ml); that is, they retain the potential for devoting 20 to 30% of their total protein synthesis to collagen. However, if the cells are left at a confluent cell density or are derived from confluent cultures, this potential is irreversibly decreased. The quantitative loss of function has long been considered to be a cell culture artifact; however, we propose that this drop in collagen synthesis is a reflection of the developmental programming of these cells. In separate series of experiments using organ cultures, we show that tendon tissue from the embryo makes over 30% collagen, whereas, young tendons make 18% and older tendons from the adult make less than 1%. Our data are consistent with the idea that cultures of embryonic tendon cells are triggered to mature by a mechanism that correlates with high cell density.

• Research Organization: Univ. of California, Berkeley
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 6639236
• Journal Information: In Vitro; (United States), Journal Name: In Vitro; (United States) Vol. 15:12; ISSN ITCSA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550301* -- Cytology-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AGE DEPENDENCE
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMAL TISSUES
ANIMALS
ASCORBIC ACID
BIOSYNTHESIS
BIRDS
BODY
CELL CULTURES
CHICKENS
COLLAGEN
CONNECTIVE TISSUE
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
CULTURE MEDIA
EMBRYONIC CELLS
EVALUATION
FIBROBLASTS
FOWL
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LIGAMENTS
ONTOGENESIS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PROTEINS
SCLEROPROTEINS
SOMATIC CELLS
SYNTHESIS
TISSUES
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
VERTEBRATES
VITAMINS