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Endocrinology Vol. 142, No. 9 4131-4140
Copyright © 2001 by The Endocrine Society


ARTICLES

Regulation of Chondrocyte Terminal Differentiation in the Postembryonic Growth Plate: The Role of the PTHrP-Indian Hedgehog Axis

Colin Farquharson, David Jefferies, Elaine Seawright and Brian Houston

Bone Biology Group, Division of Integrative Biology, Roslin Institute, Roslin, Scotland, United Kingdom EH25 9PS

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Colin Farquharson, Bone Biology Group, Division of Integrative Biology, Roslin Institute, Roslin, Scotland, United Kingdom EH25 9PS. E-mail: colin.farquharson{at}bbsrc.ac.uk


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Chondrocyte differentiation during embryonic bone growth is controlled by interactions between PTHrP and Indian hedgehog. We have now determined that the major components of this signaling pathway are present in the postembryonic growth plate. PTHrP was immunolocalized throughout the growth plate, and semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis of maturationally distinct chondrocyte fractions indicated that PTHrP, Indian hedgehog, and the PTH/PTHrP receptor were expressed at similar levels throughout the growth plate. However, patched, the hedgehog receptor, was more highly expressed in proliferating chondrocytes. Although all fractionated cells responded to PTHrP in culture by increasing thymidine incorporation and cAMP production and decreasing alkaline phosphatase activity, the magnitude of response was greatest in the proliferative chondrocytes. Bone morphogenetic proteins are considered likely intermediates in PTHrP signaling. Expression of bone morphogenetic protein-2 and 4–7 was detected within the growth plate, and PTHrP inhibited the expression of bone morphogenetic protein-4 and 6. Although organ culture studies indicated a possible paracrine role for epiphyseal chondrocyte-derived PTHrP in regulating growth plate chondrocyte differentiation, the presence within the postembryonic growth plate of functional components of the PTHrP-Indian hedgehog pathway suggests that local mechanisms intrinsic to the growth plate exist to control the rate of endochondral ossification.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
PTHrP WAS FIRST identified as the systemic factor responsible for the elevated serum calcium levels that contribute to the pathogenesis of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (1). Subsequent studies, however, have shown that the normal circulating concentration of PTHrP is very low, and it is therefore unlikely that systemic PTHrP has a significant role in the day to day maintenance of calcium homeostasis. The physiological roles for PTHrP are now recognized to be numerous and complex, as recent data have shown that PTHrP is expressed by a wide variety of embryonic and adult tissues (2, 3). This suggests that during normal cell growth and differentiation PTHrP functions mainly as an autocrine/paracrine factor, acting through the common type I receptor (PTHR) it shares with PTH (4). This local control of cellular function extends to cells of the skeleton and in particular to the growth plate chondrocytes that control the rate of longitudinal bone growth. The growth plate can be separated into distinct maturational zones containing resting, proliferative, terminally differentiated, or mineralizing hypertrophic chondrocytes. Chondrocytes remain in a spatially fixed location within the growth plate throughout their life cycle, and their progression toward the terminally differentiated phenotype is controlled by the actions of cytokines, growth factors, hormones, and the extracellular matrix (5).

A series of elegant gene knockout and overexpression experiments have clearly shown that PTHrP together with the morphogen Indian hedgehog (Ihh) and their respective receptors regulate chondrocyte terminal differentiation in the early embryonic cartilage anlage in a highly coordinated manner (6, 7). These researchers have proposed a model for the molecular regulation of chondrocyte terminal differentiation in embryonic tissue. In this model, Ihh is produced by prehypertrophic chondrocytes committed to hypertrophy and acting through its receptor patched (Ptc), which is expressed by cells in the adjacent perichondrium, increases the expression of PTHrP in the periarticular region. PTHrP then diffuses beyond the proliferating cells, binds to the PTHR expressed on prehypertrophic chondrocytes, i.e. before their conversion to Ihh-expressing cells, and blocks their further differentiation. As the population of committed cells progresses to the hypertrophic phenotype, they stop expressing Ihh, thereby attenuating the negative feedback loop and allowing the further differentiation of uncommitted prehypertrophic cells. Further refinement of this model has indicated that bone morphogenetic protein-6 (BMP-6) and Sox-4 are likely intermediates in the PTHrP-Ihh regulatory feedback loop (8, 9).

The existence of the PTHrP-Ihh feedback loop regulating chondrocyte hypertrophy is attractive in early embryonic tissue, where distances over which PTHrP and Ihh must diffuse are relatively small. However, given the much larger distances involved, the existence of such a mechanism in the postembryonic growth plate has been questioned (10). Immunocytochemical and in situ hybridization studies indicate that PTHrP, Ihh, and their receptors are expressed by chondrocytes of the chick, rat, and mouse postembryonic growth plates (11, 12, 13, 14), suggesting that the components involved in the PTHrP regulation of terminal differentiation are intrinsic to the growth plate itself. In contrast, however, recent data from in vitro studies using cocultures of chick epiphyseal and growth plate chondrocytes support the concept that PTHrP is produced by the epiphyseal chondrocytes, thereby limiting the rate of growth plate chondrocyte terminal differentiation (15).

The aims of this current study were, therefore, to clarify and provide further information on the existence of the PTHrP-Ihh feedback loop in regulating chondrocyte terminal differentiation in the postembryonic chick growth plate. To this end we examined the spatial and temporal expression patterns of PTHrP, PTHR, Ihh, Ptc, and BMPs in growth plate sections and maturationally distinct chondrocyte fractions. In addition, a series of in vitro chondrocyte and growth plate explant studies provided functional data on the autocrine/paracrine actions of PTHrP signaling. This multidisciplinary approach provides new insights into the autocrine/paracrine control of chondrocyte differentiation and endochondral ossification.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
PTHrP immunocytochemistry
Growth plates from 3-wk-old male chicks were fixed in buffered neutral formalin for 24 h and embedded in paraffin wax, without decalcification, using standard procedures. Sections, 5 µm thick, were cut, deparaffinized, rehydrated through graded alcohols, and immunostained using antiserum to human PTHrP (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14), a gift from Dr. Jane Moseley (University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia). This antiserum cross reacts with chicken PTHrP as the amino acid sequence of chick PTHrP-(1–14) and human PTHrP-(1–14) are 100% identical. After protease treatment with 0.1% trypsin/0.1% calcium chloride (w/w) in 20 mM Tris (pH 7.8) for 10 min, a standard indirect immunoperoxidase protocol was used. In brief, endogenous peroxidases were blocked with 1% H2O2 in methanol followed by overnight incubation at 4 C of a 1:1000 dilution of PTHrP antiserum. After thorough washing in PBS the sections were incubated for 1 h at room temperature in a 1:100 dilution of peroxidase-labeled goat antirabbit IgG (DAKO Corp., Cambridgeshire, UK). All antibody dilutions were made in PBS/5% FCS. Sections were then incubated for 5 min in diaminobenzidine/H2O2, counterstained with hematoxylin, dehydrated, and mounted in DePeX. In control sections the primary antibody was substituted for an appropriate dilution of normal rabbit serum.

Chondrocyte isolation and Percoll fractionation
Growth plates from 3-wk-old male chicks were dissected free from the proximal tibiotarsus and diced into 1-mm cubes. Chondrocytes were isolated by incubating the tissue for 4 h at 37 C in 0.4% collagenase, 0.2% hyaluronidase, and 0.01% deoxyribonuclease as previously described (16, 17). Cell number was determined using a hemocytometer, and 50–60 x 106 cells were resuspended in 1 ml Mg2+- and Ca2+-free PBS. Discontinuous Percoll gradients were prepared, which consisted of six density gradient steps (1.04–1.09 g/ml). The isolated cells were carefully layered onto each gradient, centrifuged at 400 x g for 30 min, and the cells in the resultant five fractions were harvested by aspiration (16, 17). After washing, cell viability was assessed by trypan blue staining and was greater than 95% in all fractions. The cells were either used in culture experiments (see below) or pelleted by centrifugation and stored at -70 C until required.

Functional analysis of PTHR in Percoll- fractionated chondrocytes
Chondrocytes from each Percoll fraction were resuspended in DMEM containing 10% FBS, plated in 24-well plates at a density of 200,000 cells/well, and maintained at 37 C under an atmosphere of 95% air/5% CO2. After an overnight incubation to allow cell attachment, PTHrP (10-8 M; Bachem, Essex, UK) was added to the cells of each fraction (in quadruplicate for each assay and treatment group), whereas others received vehicle only. As ascorbic acid is required for chondrocyte differentiation, but severely inhibits avian chondrocyte proliferation, this vitamin (ascorbic acid-2-phosphate) was added (100 µmol/liter) to the medium of the differentiation experiments only. After 24 h the medium was removed and stored at -70 C until assayed for cAMP using RIA (IDS, Boldon, UK). The cells were assessed for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, a recognized marker of terminal differentiation, by measuring the cleavage of p-nitrophenol phosphate at 410 nm. Total ALP activity was expressed as nanomoles of p-nitrophenol phosphate hydrolyzed per min/mg protein (16). For the determination of chondrocyte proliferation, 0.2 µCi/ml [3H]thymidine (37 MBq/ml; Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Little Chalfont, UK) was added for the last 18 h of culture, and the amount of radioactivity incorporated into trichloroacetic acid-insoluble precipitates was measured (16).

Responses of epiphyseal and growth plate chondrocytes to PTHrP
Chondrocytes from both epiphyseal and growth plate cartilages were isolated and plated in 24-well plates as described above. After an overnight incubation to allow cell attachment, PTHrP (10-6–10-10 M) or vehicle was added, in quadruplicate, to each cell type for 24 h, and [3H]thymidine uptake and cAMP concentration in conditioned medium were measured as previously described. In separate experiments growth plate chondrocytes were cultured at a density of 7.5 x 106/T75 culture flasks as previously described. After an overnight incubation, PTHrP (10-8 M) was added and after 1, 6, and 24 h the medium was removed, and the flasks were stored at -70 C for RNA extraction and RT-PCR analysis of BMP expression. In some cases freshly isolated epiphyseal and growth plate chondrocytes were frozen directly at -70 C for RNA extraction and RT-PCR analysis of PTHrP and PTHR expression.

Cloning of chick PTHR
To obtain information about the sequence of chick PTHR, we used RT-PCR to amplify a 360-bp cDNA from chick chondrocyte RNA using the degenerate primers TTYGGNTGGGGNYCCNGC and GGAGGATCCRAANARCATYTCRTARTGGAT. These correspond to the amino acid motifs FGWGLPA and MHYEMLFN, which are conserved within the human, rat, and opossum PTHR sequences. The cDNA fragment was cloned into the T-vector pCRII to generate the clone pAH1. The predicted amino acid sequence of the pAH1 insert had 85% identity to the human PTHR sequence and 59% identity to the human PTHR2 sequence, confirming that a fragment of the gene for the type 1 receptor had been cloned.

RNA extraction
Total RNA was extracted from chondrocytes by repeated aspiration through a 25-gauge syringe needle in 1.5 ml Ultraspec (Biotecx, Houston, TX). After extraction with chloroform, RNA in the aqueous phase was precipitated with isopropanol and bound to RNA Tack resin (Biotecx) following the manufacturer’s protocol. After washing with 75% ethanol, the RNA was eluted in 100 µl ribonuclease-free water (17). In each case the 260/280 ratio was 1.9–2.0, confirming the purity of the RNA. All preparations were diluted to a concentration of 50 ng/µl and stored at -70 C.

Semiquantitative RT-PCR
Gene expression in the five Percoll fractions and PTHrP-treated chondrocytes was analyzed by semiquantitative RT-PCR (16, 17, 18). Aliquots of 500 ng RNA (or an equivalent volume of water as a control) were reverse transcribed in 20-µl reactions with 200 ng random hexamers and 200 U Superscript II reverse transcriptase using the Superscript preamplification protocol (Life Technologies, Inc., Paisley, UK). PCR was performed in 20-µl reactions containing cDNA equivalent to 10 ng RNA and 200 nM gene-specific primers (Table 1Go) in 11.1 x PCR buffer (19). The cycling profile was 1 min at 92 C (first cycle, 2 min), 1 min at 55 C, and 1 min at 70 C. The number of cycles performed was carefully titrated to ensure that the reactions were in the exponential phase (Table 1Go). Reaction products were analyzed on 1.5% agarose gels in the presence of ethidium bromide (250 µg/liter), and a digital image of each gel was captured using a gel documentation system (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Hemel Hempstead, UK).


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Table 1. Primer pairs used for specific gene analysis

 
Growth plate explant culture
Growth plates were dissected under sterile conditions from 3-wk-old chick tibiotarsi as previously described. The growth plates were cut longitudinally into small cartilage segments measuring approximately 2 mm wide and 0.5–1 mm thick and contained both proliferating and hypertrophic chondrocytes (16). The cartilage segments were placed on 0.4 µm culture plate inserts (Millicell-CM, Millipore Corp., Watford, UK) and cultured in 24-well plates in 0.5 ml DMEM containing 10% FBS, ascorbic acid (100 µmol/liter), and gentamicin with or without PTHrP (10-8 M) for 4 d. Ten microliters of culture medium were added directly on top of the segments, and the complete medium was changed on the second day (16). At 0 and 4 d, explants were fixed in neutral buffered formalin for 24 h and processed through to paraffin wax as previously described. Wax sections (10 µm) were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. In some experiments, the epiphyseal cartilage was left attached to the underlying growth plate growth plate cartilage and cultured, without exogenous PTHrP, for 4 d as described above.

Statistical analysis
All in vitro cell culture experiments were performed a minimum of three times, and although slight variations in absolute values between individual experiments existed, the trends shown in the representative figures were noted in all experimental repeats. All data are expressed as the mean ± SEM (of four observations within each experiment), and statistical analysis was performed using t test. In the gene expression studies the results shown are representative of the expression levels in two separate PTHrP treatment experiments and four independent Percoll fractionations.


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Immunocytochemistry
To determine the distribution of PTHrP-expressing chondrocytes within the growth plate, an immunocytochemical study using PTHrP-specific antiserum was carried out. Staining for PTHrP was localized intracellularly within the chondrocytes of the growth plate cartilage (Fig. 1AGo). The chondrocytes within the proliferating and hypertrophic zones of the postembryonic growth plate all reacted positively (Figs. 1Go, B and C), with strongest staining observed in the terminally differentiated, hypertrophic chondrocytes. The chondrocytes within the epiphyseal cartilage juxtaposed to the underlying growth plate cartilage were also strongly stained with the PTHrP antiserum (Fig. 1DGo). No staining was evident in control sections reacted in the absence of the primary antibody (Fig. 1EGo).



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Figure 1. PTHrP immunostaining of chick growth plate chondrocytes. A, Low power micrograph showing positive staining of the proliferating (P) and hypertrophic (H) chondrocytes. B and C, Higher power micrographs showing strong clear cellular staining with the chondrocytes of the proliferating (B) and hypertrophic (C) zones. D, Strong staining within the chondrocytes (arrows) of the epiphyseal cartilage juxtaposed to the underlying proliferating chondrocytes (P) of the growth plate. E, Control section incubated with normal rabbit serum showing no positive chondrocyte staining. Magnification bar, 133 (A) and 66 (B–E) µm.

 
Gene expression levels in fractionated and PTHrP-treated growth plate chondrocytes
To further examine the expression pattern of PTHrP, Ihh, Ptc, PTHR, and BMPs, the growth plate chondrocytes were separated by Percoll density centrifugation into different maturational phenotypes (Percoll fractions 1–5). The five fractionated chondrocyte populations have been characterized previously (17). As expected, cell volume and ALP activity were inversely proportional to the density of each fraction. Gene expression studies using specific primers for collagen types II and X and extracellular fatty acid binding protein (Ex-FABP) further indicated that chondrocyte fractions 1 and 2 were enriched in hypertrophic chondrocytes, whereas fractions 4 and 5 were enriched in proliferating chondrocytes. Fraction 3 contained predominantly prehypertrophic cells. The expression patterns for collagen type II and X and Ex-FABP were confirmed in the present study (Fig. 2AGo).



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Figure 2. Semiquantitative RT-PCR assays of the expression of marker genes (A); PTHrP, Ihh, and their receptors (B); and BMPs (C) in Percoll-fractionated growth plate chondrocytes. The results shown are representative of four independent Percoll fractionations.

 
PTHrP, Ihh, PTHR, and Ptc were all expressed within the growth plate (Fig. 2BGo). As assessed by semiquantitative analysis the levels of expression of PTHrP, Ihh, and PTHR were similar in all Percoll fractions, and no obvious expression trends with respect to the chondrocyte maturational stage were noted in four independent Percoll fractionations. However, the expression of Ptc was consistently lower in hypertrophic chondrocytes (fractions 1 and 2) compared with fractions 3–5. The levels of expression of BMP-2 and -7 were similar in all chondrocyte fractions, whereas the expression of BMP-4, -5, and -6 varied with the degree of chondrocyte differentiation (Fig. 2CGo). BMP-4 showed a biphasic response and was most abundantly expressed in fractions 2 and 3. BMP-5 expression was highest in the proliferating cells and decreased with chondrocyte differentiation, whereas BMP-6 expression was highest in the hypertrophic chondrocytes and lower in the proliferating cells.

Treatment of cultured chondrocytes with PTHrP markedly down-regulated the expression of BMP-4 and BMP-6. After 6 h, expression was lower and was undetectable by 24 h posttreatment (Fig. 3AGo). The levels of expression of BMP-2, -5, and -7 were very low in cultured growth plate chondrocytes and were not affected by PTHrP at the time points studied (data not shown).



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Figure 3. A, Semiquantitative RT-PCR assays of chondrocyte BMP-4 and BMP-6 expression after 1-, 6-, and 24-h exposure to PTHrP (10-8 M). B, Semiquantitative RT-PCR assays of PTHrP and PTHR expression in growth plate and epiphyseal chondrocytes. The results shown are representative of two separate analyses.

 
Comparison of PTHrP and PTHR gene expression levels in epiphyseal and growth plate chondrocytes
PTHrP expression was detected in freshly isolated whole growth plate and epiphyseal chondrocytes, but the expression level in epiphyseal chondrocytes was considerably higher (Fig. 3BGo). In contrast, PTHR expression was only detectable in chondrocytes of the whole growth plate (Fig. 3BGo).

Response of fractionated chondrocytes to PTHrP
The RT-PCR analysis indicated that the PTHR was expressed by all growth plate chondrocytes (Fig. 2BGo). However, although receptor mRNA was observed, this was not sufficient to determine whether functional receptors were present. Therefore, the response of each cell fraction to exogenous PTHrP was assayed. PTHrP increased thymidine uptake and cAMP production and decreased the ALP activity of all fractionated chondrocytes, indicating the presence of functional cell surface receptors for PTHrP on all growth plate chondrocytes (Fig. 4Go). However, the magnitude of the effect of PTHrP on proliferation, differentiation and cAMP production varied with maturational phenotype. In general, the fold difference (Table 2Go) between treated and control cultures was less for the hypertrophic chondrocytes (fractions 1 and 2) than those of a more proliferative phenotype (fractions 3–5). It is possible that a proportion of the response within each fraction may be due to a small number of contaminating cells in each fraction. This would, however, not alter our conclusion that proliferative cells are more responsive (with respect to thymidine uptake, ALP activity, and cAMP production) than hypertrophic cells. For example, if the small PTHrP response noted in fractions 1 and 2 was partly due to contamination by proliferating chondrocytes, this would imply that the hypertrophic cells, which are the principle cell in these fractions, are even less responsive to PTHrP. The same argument holds for the gene expression data shown in Fig. 2Go.



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Figure 4. Effect of PTHrP (10-8 M) on thymidine uptake (A), ALP activity (B), and cAMP production (C) of Percoll-fractionated growth plate chondrocytes. Significantly different from untreated control cultures: *, P < 0.05; ***, P < 0.001.

 

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Table 2. Effect of PTHrP on cAMP production, ALP activity, and thymidine uptake of cultured fractionated chondrocytes

 
Responses of epiphyseal and growth plate chondrocytes to PTHrP
As PTHrP expression was also noted in epiphyseal chondrocytes (Figs. 1DGo and 3BGo), it was of interest to determine whether the response of epiphyseal chondrocytes to PTHrP was similar to that of growth plate chondrocytes. Experiments with monolayer cultures showed that PTHrP significantly stimulated the thymidine uptake of growth plate chondrocytes (P < 0.001) and their production of cAMP (P < 0.001), whereas no significant effect of PTHrP was observed on either parameter in epiphyseal chondrocytes (Fig. 5Go). The effect of PTHrP on growth plate chondrocytes was concentration dependent; thymidine uptake and cAMP production were stimulated to similar levels by 10-6 and 10-8 M PTHrP, whereas the response to 10-10 M PTHrP was less for both parameters (Fig. 5Go).



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Figure 5. Effect of PTHrP (10-6–10-10 M) on thymidine uptake (A) and cAMP production (B) by growth plate or epiphyseal chondrocytes. Significantly different from untreated control cultures: ***, P < 0.001.

 
Growth plate explant cultures
The observation that epiphyseal chondrocytes expressed high levels of PTHrP (Figs. 1DGo and 2DGo) but did not respond to exogenous PTHrP in culture (Fig. 5Go) suggested that the function of epiphyseal-derived PTHrP may be to control the rate of growth plate chondrocyte differentiation in a way similar to that proposed for embryonic skeletal growth (7). This hypothesis was tested using a growth plate explant system previously described by us (16). In these explant studies the distinction between proliferative and hypertrophic chondrocytes was based entirely on morphology, as our previous explant studies have clearly indicated that chondrocytes with a hypertrophic, but not a proliferative, morphology synthesized a cartilaginous matrix rich in a collagen type X (16). The area of growth plate taken for explant culture contained the entire proliferating zone and the upper part of the hypertrophic zone (d 0; Fig. 6AGo). After 4 d in culture, the chondrocytes situated within the original proliferating zone of the control explants were clearly hypertrophic (Fig. 6BGo), which is in accord with our previous observations (16). However, chondrocytes from PTHrP-treated explants maintained the flattened ellipsoid shape characteristic of proliferating chondrocytes (Fig. 6CGo). This strongly suggests that PTHrP inhibits the terminal differentiation of chondrocytes. Explants that had been cultured in medium containing PTHrP for 4 d and then maintained for an additional 4 d in medium free of exogenous PTHrP developed cells that had a hypertrophic phenotype (Fig. 6DGo) and were indistinguishable from those in Fig. 6BGo. This indicates that the cells within the explants were still viable after 4 d of PTHrP treatment. In explants comprising both epiphyseal and growth plate cartilage, a band of chondrocytes within the proximal region of the growth plate and close to the junction with the epiphyseal cartilage maintained their proliferative phenotype with no evidence of chondrocyte hypertrophy (Fig. 6Go, E and F). Cellular morphology was remarkably similar to that of the PTHrP-treated explants (Fig. 6CGo).



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Figure 6. Hematoxylin and eosin staining of growth plate explant cultures. A, The growth plate taken for explant culture (d 0) contained the entire proliferating zone (P) of chondrocytes that have a characteristic flattened oblate morphology and the upper part of the hypertrophic zone (H) containing large prolate cells. B, After 4 d in culture all cells of the cartilage explant are hypertrophic. The cells marked with an asterisk are the original proliferating chondrocytes on d 0. C, In d 4 cultures, PTHrP (10-8 M) completely inhibited the development of the hypertrophic phenotype in the chondrocytes situated in the original proliferating (P) zone. The original hypertrophic chondrocytes (H) are clearly evident. D, PTHrP (10-8 M)-containing medium was replaced after 4 d and substituted with medium not containing PTHrP for an additional 4 d. All cells were hypertrophic, and the explants had morphology similar to those shown in B. E and F, Low (E) and high (F) power micrographs of a 4-d-old culture in which the epiphyseal cartilage was left attached to the growth plate (arrow demarcates the junction between both cartilage types). The chondrocytes situated in the original proliferating (P) zone retain their proliferative phenotype and are similar in morphology to the proliferative chondrocytes of d 0 control (A) and PTHrP-treated (C) explants, but are in contrast to the morphology of the underlying hypertrophic chondrocytes (H). Magnification bar, 133 (A–D), 330 (E), and 133 (F) µm.

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
The immunolocalization of PTHrP to all maturational zones of the chick growth plate was confirmed by similar levels of PTHrP mRNA expression in the Percoll-fractionated growth plate chondrocytes. This distribution is in accord with observations in the postnatal mouse growth plate where PTHrP protein and mRNA were uniformly expressed by chondrocytes within the proliferative, prehypertrophic, and hypertrophic zones (11). Similar findings have also been reported in the rat where PTHrP mRNA and protein together with other components of the regulatory loop were expressed in the postnatal growth plate (14), although in this latter study PTHrP was absent from the proliferating chondrocytes. Recent immunolocalization studies have also demonstrated PTHrP expression predominantly localized to the hypertrophic chondrocytes of the postembryonic chick growth plate (13). In contrast, another study using a ribonuclease protection assay indicated higher levels of mRNA expression in proliferating chondrocytes and lower levels in hypertrophic chondrocytes (15). Although differences in the pattern of expression may exist between species, these localization studies demonstrate that the expression of PTHrP within growth plate chondrocytes is a general characteristic of the postembryonic growth plate.

This observation is in contrast to the PTHrP distribution noted during early embryonic endochondral bone formation in the mouse, rat, and chick, where in situ hybridization studies have indicated that PTHrP is principally located to the perichondrial cells closest to the articular surfaces (periarticular region) and, with the exception of faint staining in the hypertrophic cells of one study (20), is essentially absent from the growth plate (7, 20, 21, 22). These data suggest age-dependent differences in PTHrP localization, although the apparent differences in the exact cells that express PTHrP may result from studying various species of different ages by a number of disparate techniques. PTHrP shares many of the features common to members of the early response gene family that are characterized by unstable and rapidly turned over mRNA (23). This highlights the importance of the sensitivity of the detection technique employed, and this is exemplified by the results of the study by Medill et al. (13), who found PTHrP to be expressed by proliferating chondrocytes using RT-PCR (as in this present study), but not using immunocytochemistry. An alternative explanation for the widespread distribution of PTHrP protein within the postembryonic growth plate is that it localizes to chondrocytes that express the PTHR rather than at sites where it is synthesized. This argument has previously been used to explain the discordant distribution of PTHrP (22) and also IGF (24), nerve growth factor (25), and TGFß1 (26). However, we detected the expression of PTHrP mRNA throughout the growth plate, and this provides direct evidence that PTHrP is indeed produced by chondrocytes of all maturational stages.

Regardless of the source of PTHrP in the growth plate, the specific target cells for this ligand have not yet been unequivocally identified. As PTHR expression is highest in the early differentiating chondrocytes (6, 20), these cells have been regarded as the target for PTHrP signaling (7). However, recent data obtained from chimeric mice containing both wild-type and PTHR-negative (-/-) cells, indicate that PTHrP acts directly on the low level of PTHR present on proliferating cells (27) to delay and synchronize their differentiation (28). This observation would explain why proliferating chondrocytes are most noticeably affected in PTHrP knockout (7) and PTHrP-overexpressing mice (29). Our present data show that cells of all growth plate fractions express PTHR and respond in culture to exogenous PTHrP. This indicates that the PTHR is functional in all growth plate maturational zones. Significantly, we found that PTHrP elicited the greatest response in chondrocytes of a more proliferative phenotype (fractions 3–5). This observation is consistent with the view that it is these cells that are both the target of and principal responders to PTHrP (28). It cannot be ruled out, however, that the hypertrophic cells may elicit a greater response to PTHrP than the proliferating chondrocytes in the synthesis and secretion of collagen, proteoglycans, and other matrix molecules. This aspect of the response to PTHrP requires further study.

The original in situ hybridization studies by Vortkamp and colleagues (7) indicated that Ihh was expressed by prehypertrophic chondrocytes in both embryonic and postembryonic chick growth plates and that the perichondrium flanking the Ihh expression domain was the location of the Ptc receptor (7). Recent studies, however, failed to localize Ptc protein to the perichondrium of postnatal rat bone (14), and other reports have now shown Ptc expression by proliferating cells (27, 30). Our observations that Ptc mRNA expression was higher in the proliferating chondrocytes is in agreement with these data, and together they suggest that Ihh acts directly on chondrocytes, and not via the perichondrium, to regulate the pace of chondrocyte differentiation. A dual action of Ihh on the chondrocyte differentiation process has been proposed (31). The attachment of cholesterol moieties to the C-terminus of the cleaved N-terminal fragment of Ihh (32) results in both its tethering to the plasma membrane and sequestration at the site of the Ptc receptor (33). The resultant accumulation of hedgehog protein may lead, through short range and PTHrP-independent effects, to promotion of the terminally differentiated phenotype (31, 34, 35, 36). These prodifferentiating actions of Ihh are in contrast to those elicited by the long-range diffusion of Ihh and activation of the PTHrP signaling pathway (31). Recent data indicated that Ihh also drives chondrocyte proliferation in a pathway that is essentially independent of PTHrP signaling (36), and therefore, it is likely that not all actions of Ihh are mediated by PTHrP and result in delayed chondrocyte differentiation. The above evidence suggests a more complex control of chondrocyte differentiation by Ihh and PTHrP than previously recognized. The precise contribution of each pathway to the differential fate of growth plate chondrocytes remains to be determined.

The mechanisms for relaying Ihh over many cell diameters to its target cells are unclear (37). The lipophilic character of Ihh presents special problems for long-range signaling, but clues to the mechanisms involved have come from analysis of the Drosophila gene, dispatched (disp) (38). The disp protein is phylogenetically related to a family of proteins containing a sterol-sensing domain and in disp mutant cells, cholesterol-modified hedgehog protein is retained within the cell, indicating that disp functions to release cholesterol-tethered hh protein (38). As entries with homology to disp exist in vertebrate EST databases (37), similar mechanisms for Ihh mobilization are likely to function in vertebrates. It is, however, unknown whether disp and other proposed hedgehog- signaling pathways (39) can propel Ihh over sufficient distances in the embryonic cartilage anlage. As a consequence of the large increases in size during vertebrate development, such problems will be exacerbated in the postembryonic growth plate.

The importance of BMPs in endochondral ossification is unequivocal, and various studies have localized BMP-1 to -7 to all maturational zones of the growth plate (40, 41, 42). BMPs have been shown to promote both chondrogenesis (43) and chondrocyte terminal differentiation (44), and a blockade of BMP receptor signaling results in the delayed differentiation of chick limb bud cells (45). We observed distinct expression patterns of the genes encoding BMPs. BMP-2 and -7 were expressed uniformly throughout the growth plate, whereas BMP-5 was expressed most abundantly in the proliferating chondrocytes. In agreement with earlier workers we noted that BMP-6 expression is progressively up-regulated during chondrocyte terminal differentiation (7). Interestingly, we found that the expression of both BMP-4 and BMP-6 by cultured growth plate chondrocytes was dramatically inhibited by PTHrP. The rapidity of the response observed in the present study (within 6 h) and the absence of any increase in the expression of these BMPs in control cultures argue that this is a direct effect and is not secondary to the inhibition of chondrocyte differentiation by PTHrP. As BMP-6 stimulates chondrocyte maturation and up-regulates the expression of Ihh, Grimsrud and colleagues (8) proposed that the inhibition of chondrocyte maturation by PTHrP is indirect and is mediated by the suppression of BMP-6 expression.

As an alternative fate to terminal differentiation, postmitotic chondrocytes can rapidly undergo apoptosis (46). BMP-4 has been shown to be expressed in populations of apoptotic cells as well as directly promoting apoptosis during embryonic pattern formation (47). Our finding that BMP-4 expression was highest in the prehypertrophic chondrocytes indicates that BMP-4 expression also coincides with the onset of apoptosis within the growth plate (46). PTHrP inhibits chondrocyte apoptosis as well as terminal differentiation (48) and therefore the inhibition of BMP-4 by PTHrP suggests a mechanism by which PTHrP could prevent chondrocyte apoptosis. Thus, by inhibiting the expression of both BMP-4 and BMP-6, PTHrP may control the two developmental fates available to postmitotic chondrocytes.

The infection of chick limb buds with a constitutively active form of the BMP receptor 1A results in the stimulation of PTHrP expression and the inhibition of chondrocyte differentiation (45). Although this suggests that some BMPs may mediate the effects of Ihh in regulating PTHrP expression, it is unlikely to be BMP-7, whose inhibitory actions on terminal differentiation have been shown to be independent of PTHrP expression (49). The results of our study are in agreement with this conclusion, as PTHrP had no effect of on BMP-7 expression in cultured chondrocytes.

In addition to positive PTHrP immunolocalization to growth plate chondrocytes, we noted the presence of PTHrP in the epiphyseal chondrocytes situated proximal to the growth plate. Analysis by RT-PCR confirmed this expression pattern and further indicated that PTHrP mRNA expression by epiphyseal chondrocytes was higher than that by growth plate chondrocytes. Although this substantiates earlier data (15), no evidence exists for an autocrine role for this epiphyseal chondrocyte-derived PTHrP. Unlike their growth plate counterparts, the epiphyseal chondrocytes showed no PTHR mRNA expression and neither a cAMP nor a proliferative response to exogenous PTHrP in culture. Alternatively, coculture experiments with both chondrocyte types have supported the suggestion that PTHrP diffuses from the epiphysis into the growth plate and acts in a paracrine manner to regulate the rate of chondrocyte maturation (15). We have confirmed and extended these results using an organ culture system that more closely parallels the complex tissue interactions that occur in the growing bone. These results are analogous to developmental models in which PTHrP is expressed by chondrocytes in the periarticular region of embryonic long bones and regulates the pace of growth plate chondrocyte maturation (7). However to rule out the role of other potential mitogens, further experimentation, possibly involving PTHrP-neutralizing antibodies, will be needed to confirm that PTHrP is indeed the paracrine factor central to this regulation.

The results of our study show that the known components of the PTHrP-Ihh autoregulatory loop are all present within the postembryonic chick growth plate and suggest that the long diffusion distances required for the interaction of PTHrP and Ihh with their receptors (7) may not be required for the control of chondrocyte terminal differentiation. This situation, however, may not be so far removed from the events that occur in the developing cartilage anlage. It has recently been implied that both Ihh and PTHrP interact directly with their receptors located on proliferating chondrocytes to control the rate of chondrocyte differentiation (28, 30). It is therefore likely that local mechanisms intrinsic to the growth plate exist to control the rate of longitudinal bone growth, although a role for epiphyseal chondrocyte-derived PTHrP in regulating proliferating chondrocyte differentiation cannot be ruled out.


    Acknowledgments
 
The authors are grateful to Dr. Jane Mosely, St. Vincent’s Hospital (Fitzroy, Australia), for the generous gift of PTHrP antiserum. The authors also acknowledge Mr. Norrie Russell for artwork, and Dr. Roland Leach, College of Agricultural Sciences, Pennsylvania State University (State College, PA), for access to a preprint of his unpublished manuscript.


    Footnotes
 
This work was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food.

Abbreviations: ALP, Alkaline phosphatase; BMP, bone morphogenetic protein; disp, dispatched; Ex-FABP, extracellular fatty acid binding protein; Ihh, Indian hedgehog; Ptc, patched; PTHR, PTH receptor.

Received February 15, 2001.

Accepted for publication May 24, 2001.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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