Mechanical loading modulates chondrocyte primary cilia incidence and length

The pathways by which chondrocytes of articular cartilage sense their mechanical environment are unclear. Compelling structural evidence suggests that chondrocyte primary cilia are mechanosensory organelles. This study used a 3D agarose culture model to examine the effect of compressive strain on ch...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cell biology international 2010-05, Vol.34 (5), p.441-446
Main Authors: McGlashan, Susan R., Knight, Martin M., Chowdhury, Tina T., Joshi, Purva, Jensen, Cynthia G., Kennedy, Sarah, Poole, Charles A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
articular cartilage
Cattle
Cell Proliferation
Cells, Cultured
Chondrocytes - cytology
Chondrocytes - physiology
Cilia - metabolism
Cilia - ultrastructure
cilia resorption
compressive strain
Male
Mechanotransduction, Cellular - physiology
primary cilium
Stress, Mechanical
three-dimensional agarose culture
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Summary:The pathways by which chondrocytes of articular cartilage sense their mechanical environment are unclear. Compelling structural evidence suggests that chondrocyte primary cilia are mechanosensory organelles. This study used a 3D agarose culture model to examine the effect of compressive strain on chondrocyte cilia. Chondrocyte/agarose constructs were subjected to cyclic compression (0–15%; 1 Hz) for 0.5–48 h. Additional constructs were compressed for 48 h and allowed to recover for 72 h in uncompressed free‐swelling conditions. Incidence and length of cilia labelled with anti‐acetylated α‐tubulin were examined using confocal microscopy. In free‐swelling chondrocytes, these parameters increased progressively, but showed a significant decrease following 24 or 48 h compression. A 72 h recovery partially reversed this effect. The reduced cilia incidence and length were not due to increased cell division. We therefore propose that control of primary cilia length is an adaptive signalling mechanism in response to varying levels and duration of mechanical loads during joint activity.
ISSN:1065-6995
1095-8355
DOI:10.1042/CBI20090094