Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
6
pubmed:dateCreated
1999-2-25
pubmed:abstractText
Due to their rapid growth, regular replacement and easy accessibility, deer antlers are considered a useful model for the study of cartilage and bone differentiation and mineralization in mammals. The present study describes, for the first time, the cellular and extracellular matrix changes associated with cartilage formation, mineralization and degeneration in primary antlers on the ultrastructural level. Growing primary antlers of 3 to 4 cm length were obtained from six fallow bucks, aged about 10 months. It was shown that the chondroblasts were derived from progenitor cells of the antler perichondrium and differentiated into mature chondrocytes that subsequently underwent hypertrophic changes. Concomitant with cell hypertrophy, formation of a lacunar and a perilacunar extracellular matrix was observed, the latter containing numerous collagenous fibers. Mineralization of the extracellular matrix occurred via matrix vesicles and the formation of apatite crystals at distinct sites of the collagenous fibers. The hypertrophic chondrocytes of the mineralized cartilage then degenerated, a process that was also occasionally observed in more distally located cells surrounded by still unmineralized matrix. No morphological indications of a transdifferentiation of hypertrophic chondrocytes into bone forming cells, i.e., co-occurrence of a degenerating chondrocyte and a viable osteogenic cell in intact lacunae, were found. The cellular and extracellular matrix changes seen in primary antlers resemble those described for secondary antlers. Our results further indicate that the hypertrophic chondrocytes of primary antlers eventually undergo apoptosis, thereby providing further evidence that metaplastic conversion of cartilage into bone does not play a role in antler growth.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Dec
pubmed:issn
0940-9602
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
180
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
501-10
pubmed:dateRevised
2005-5-18
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1998
pubmed:articleTitle
Ultrastructural aspects of cartilage formation, mineralization, and degeneration during primary antler growth in fallow deer (Dama dama).
pubmed:affiliation
Institut für Anatomie der Universität Münster, Germany.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article