Isolation, Culture, and Characterization of Chicken Cartilage Stem/Progenitor Cells

Roles of Cartilage-Resident Stem/Progenitor Cells in Cartilage Physiology, Development, Repair and Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease that causes irreversible destruction of articular cartilage for which there is no effective treatment at present. Although articular cartilage lacks intrinsic reparative capacity, numerous studies have confirmed the existence of cartilage-resident stem/progenitor cells (CSPCs) in the superficial zone (SFZ) of articular cartilage. CSPCs are characterized by the expression of mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-related surface markers, multilineage differentiation ability, colony formation ability, and migration ability in response to injury. In contrast to MSCs and chondrocytes, CSPCs exhibit extensive proliferative and chondrogenic potential with no signs of hypertrophic differentiation, highlighting them as suitable cell sources for cartilage repair. In this review, we focus on the organizational distribution, markers, cytological features and roles of CSPCs in cartilage development, homeostasis and repair, and the application potential of CSPCs in cartilage repair and OA therapies.

Generation and characterization of genome-modified chondrocyte-like cells from the zebra finch cell line immortalized by c-MYC expression

BACKGROUND

Due to their cost effectiveness, ease of use, and unlimited supply, immortalized cell lines are used in place of primary cells for a wide range of research purposes, including gene function studies, CRISPR-based gene editing, drug metabolism tests, and vaccine or therapeutic protein production. Although immortalized cell lines have been established for a range of animal species, there is still a need to develop such cell lines for wild species. The zebra finch, which is used widely as a model species to study the neurobiological basis of human speech disorders, has been employed in several functional studies involving gene knockdown or the introduction of exogenous transgenes in vivo; however, the lack of an immortalized zebra finch cell line has hampered precise genome editing studies.

RESULTS

Here, we established an immortalized cell line by a single genetic event, expression of the c-MYC oncogene, in zebra finch embryonic fibroblasts and examined its potential suitability for gene targeting investigations. Retroviral vector-mediated transduction of c-MYC was used to immortalize zebra finch primary fibroblasts; the transformed cells proliferated stably over several passages, resulting in the expression of chondrocyte-specific genes. The transfection efficiency of the immortalized cells was much higher than that of the primary cells. Targeted knockout of the SOX9 gene, which plays a role in the differentiation of mesenchymal progenitor cells into chondrocytes, was conducted in vitro and both apoptosis and decreased expression levels of chondrogenic marker genes were observed in edited cells.

CONCLUSIONS

The c-MYC induced immortalized chondrocyte-like cell line described here broadens the available options for establishing zebra finch cell lines, paves the way for in-depth biological researches, and provides convenient approaches for biotechnology studies, particularly genomic modification research.

Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticles-Toxicity and Effect of In Ovo Inoculation on Chicken Embryo Development, Broiler Performance and Bone Status

Simple Summary

Intensive selection in broiler chicken flocks has led do several leg disorders. The injection of nanoparticles, with high specificity to the bone, into the egg is a potential method to improve bone quality. The objective of our study was to evaluate the potential effect of calcium carbonate nanoparticles injected to the egg on chicken embryo development and bone quality of broiler chickens after 42 day of life. The calcium carbonate nanoparticles were not toxic to embryo and even improved the bone quality of embryos and later broilers without negative impact on production results. Thus, the application of calcium carbonate nanoparticles to the egg may be the potential solution for improving the bone mineralization of broiler chickens.

Abstract

The use of intensive selection procedure in modern broiler chicken lines has led to the development of several skeletal disorders in broiler chickens. Therefore, current research is focused on methods to improve the bone quality in birds. In ovo technology, using nanoparticles with a high specificity to bones, is a potential approach. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of in ovo inoculation (IOI) of calcium carbonate nanoparticles (CCN) on chicken embryo development, health status, bone characteristics, and on broiler production results and bone quality. After assessing in vitro cell viability, the IOI procedure was performed with an injection of 500 μg/mL CCN. The control group was not inoculated with CCN. Hatchability, weight, and selected bone and serum parameters were measured in embryos. Part of hatchlings were reared under standard conditions until 42 days, and production results, meat quality, and bone quality of broilers were determined. CCN did not show cytotoxicity to cells and chicken embryo and positively influenced bone parameters of the embryos and of broilers later (calcification) without negatively affecting the production results. Thus, the IOI of CCN could modify the molecular responses at the stage of embryogenesis, resulting in better mineralization, and could provide a sustained effect, thereby improving bone quality in adult birds.

Effect of 20(S)-Hydroxycholesterol on Multilineage Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Isolated from Compact Bones in Chicken

Bone health and body weight gain have significant economic and welfare importance in the poultry industry. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are common progenitors of different cell lineages such as osteoblasts, adipocytes, and myocytes. Specific oxysterols have shown to be pro-osteogenic and anti-adipogenic in mouse and human MSCs. To determine the effect of 20(S)-hydroxycholesterol (20S) on osteogenic, adipogenic, and myogenic differentiation in chicken, mesenchymal stem cells isolated from compact bones of broiler chickens (cBMSCs) were subjected to various doses of 20S, and markers of lineage-specific mRNA were analyzed using real-time PCR and cell cytochemistry. Further studies were conducted to evaluate the molecular mechanisms involved in lineage-specific differentiation pathways. Like human and mouse MSCs, 20S oxysterol expressed pro-osteogenic, pro-myogenic, and anti-adipogenic differentiation potential in cBMSCs. Moreover, 20(S)-Hydroxycholesterol induced markers of osteogenic genes and myogenic regulatory factors when exposed to cBMSCs treated with their specific medium. In contrast, 20S oxysterol suppressed expression of adipogenic marker genes when exposed to cBMSCs treated with OA, an adipogenic precursor of cBMSCs. To elucidate the molecular mechanism by which 20S exerts its differentiation potential in all three lineages, we focused on the hedgehog signaling pathway. The hedgehog inhibitor, cyclopamine, completely reversed the effect of 20S induced expression of osteogenic and anti-adipogenic mRNA. However, there was no change in the mRNA expression of myogenic genes. The results showed that 20S oxysterol promotes osteogenic and myogenic differentiation and decreases adipocyte differentiation of cBMSCs. This study also showed that the induction of osteogenesis and adipogenesis inhibition in cBMSCs by 20S is mediated through the hedgehog signaling mechanism. The results indicated that 20(S) could play an important role in the differentiation of chicken-derived MSCs and provided the theory basis on developing an intervention strategy to regulate skeletal, myogenic, and adipogenic differentiation in chicken, which will contribute to improving chicken bone health and meat quality. The current results provide the rationale for the further study of regulatory mechanisms of bioactive molecules on the differentiation of MSCs in chicken, which can help to address skeletal health problems in poultry.

Isolation and characterization of human articular chondrocytes from surgical waste after total knee arthroplasty (TKA)

BACKGROUND

Cartilage tissue engineering is a fast-evolving field of biomedical engineering, in which the chondrocytes represent the most commonly used cell type. Since research in tissue engineering always consumes a lot of cells, simple and cheap isolation methods could form a powerful basis to boost such studies and enable their faster progress to the clinics. Isolated chondrocytes can be used for autologous chondrocyte implantation in cartilage repair, and are the base for valuable models to investigate cartilage phenotype preservation, as well as enable studies of molecular features, nature and scales of cellular responses to alterations in the cartilage tissue.

METHODS

Isolation and consequent cultivation of primary human adult articular chondrocytes from the surgical waste obtained during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) was performed. To evaluate the chondrogenic potential of the isolated cells, gene expression of collagen type 2 (COL2), collagen 1 (COL1) and aggrecan (ACAN) was evaluated. Immunocytochemical staining of all mentioned proteins was performed to evaluate chondrocyte specific production.

RESULTS

Cartilage specific gene expression of COL2 and ACAN has been shown that the proposed protocol leads to isolation of cells with a high chondrogenic potential, possibly even specific phenotype preservation up to the second passage. COL1 expression has confirmed the tendency of the isolated cells dedifferentiation into a fibroblast-like phenotype already in the second passage, which confirms previous findings that higher passages should be used with care in cartilage tissue engineering. To evaluate the effectiveness of our approach, immunocytochemical staining of the evaluated chondrocyte specific products was performed as well.

DISCUSSION

In this study, we developed a protocol for isolation and consequent cultivation of primary human adult articular chondrocytes with the desired phenotype from the surgical waste obtained during TKA. TKA is a common and very frequently performed orthopaedic surgery during which both femoral condyles are removed. The latter present the ideal source for a simple and relatively cheap isolation of chondrocytes as was confirmed in our study.