Bone morphogenetic protein-7 promotes chondrogenesis in human amniotic epithelial cells

• Published in: International orthopaedics 2011-06, Vol.35 (6), p.941-948
• Main Authors: Zhou, Junjie, Yu, Guangrong, Cao, Chengfu, Pang, Jinhui, Chen, Xianqi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: aggrecan; Amnion - cytology; Antigens, Surface - metabolism; Biomarkers - metabolism; Bone morphogenetic protein 7; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7 - pharmacology; Bone morphogenetic proteins; Cartilage; Cell Differentiation - drug effects; Cells, Cultured; Chondrocytes; Chondrocytes - drug effects; Chondrocytes - metabolism; Chondrocytes - ultrastructure; Chondrogenesis; Chondrogenesis - drug effects; Chondrogenesis - physiology; Collagen (type I); Collagen (type II); Collagen Type II - genetics; Collagen Type II - metabolism; Data processing; Epithelial cells; Epithelial Cells - drug effects; Epithelial Cells - metabolism; Epithelial Cells - ultrastructure; Expression vectors; Gene Expression - drug effects; Humans; Hyaline Cartilage - drug effects; Hyaline Cartilage - growth & development; Joints; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Paper; Orthopedics; Polymerase chain reaction; Recombinant Proteins; Sox9 protein; SOX9 Transcription Factor - genetics; SOX9 Transcription Factor - metabolism; Tissue Engineering; Transcription; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 - pharmacology; Transforming growth factor- beta; Transforming growth factor- beta 1
• ISSN: 0341-2695; 1432-5195
• DOI: 10.1007/s00264-010-1116-3

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) play important roles at multiple stages of chondrogenesis. This study was undertaken to investigate the potential role of bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) in the differentiation of chondrocytes using tissue engineering techniques. The impact of BMP-7 on human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) was tested. The hAECs were treated either with recombinant human BMP-7 cDNA or with transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) as a positive control for three weeks in vitro. Cartilaginous differentiation and proliferation were assayed by quantitative RT-PCR, histology, and in situ hybridization. Our results were such that hAECs treated with either BMP-7 or TGF-β1 expressed cartilage markers (aggrecan, Sox9, CEP-68, and type II and X collagens) within three weeks. Compared with a control vector, BMP-7 induced a decrease in type I collagen expression, while the transcription of the cartilage-specific type II collagen remained stable. In induction experiments, BMP-7 transgenic hAECs exhibited the largest amount of matrix synthesis. In conclusion, these data indicate that BMP-7 plays an important role in inducing the production of cartilage by hAECs in vitro. Cartilage differentiation and matrix maturation can be promoted by BMPs in a cartilage engineering paradigm. These properties make BMPs promising tools in the engineering of cartilaginous joint bio-prostheses and as candidate biological agents or genes for cartilage stabilisation.