Abstract. This report deals with the quantitation of both mRNA and transcription activity of type I collagen gene and of three cartilage-specific collagens (types II, IX, and X) during in vitro differentiation of chick chondrocytes. Differentiation was obtained by transferal to suspension culture of dedifferentiated cells passaged for 3 wk as adherent cells. The type I collagen mRNA, highly represented in the dedifferentiated cells, rapidly decreased during chondrocyte differentiation. On the contrary, types II and IX collagen mRNAs sharply increased within the first week of suspension culture, peaked in the second week, and thereafter began to decrease. This decrease was particularly significant for type IX collagen mRNA. The level of type X collagen mRNA progressively increased during the course of the culture, reached its maximal value after 3-4 wk, and decreased only at a later stage of cell differentiation.As determined by in vitro run-off transcription assays, all these changes in collagen mRNA levels could be attributed to parallel modifications in the relative rate of transcription of the corresponding collagen genes.We suggest that chicken chondrocyte differentiation proceeds through at least two different steps: (a) first, transition from a stage characterized by a high level of type I collagen mRNA to a stage characterized by predominance of types II and IX collagen mRNAs; (b) later, transition to a stage characterized by the highest level of type X collagen mRNA.RGANOGENESlS of long bones involves cellular differentiation and continuous synthesis and remodeling of the extracellular matrix. During the first stages of chick development, mesenchymal cells in the limb buds differentiate, possibly through distinct regulatory steps (22), and condense to form a blastema from which cartilaginous bones develop. This process is characterized by profound changes in the cell morphology accompanied by the synthesis of novel extracellular macromolecules, among which are cartilage-specific proteoglycans and collagens (7). Changes in the levels of types I and II collagens and of their mRNAs during chondrogenesis in vivo and in vitro were detected with the use of specific antibodies and cDNA probes (27,10, 11). Cartilaginous bones grow because of cell proliferation and deposition of new extracellular matrix. Proliferating chondrocytes progressively mature into hypertrophic nondividing cells. Hypertrophy of chondrocytes, first detectable in the diaphysis and after in the epiphyseal regions, is accompanied by the onset of type X collagen synthesis (2, 20). Hypertrophic cartilage undergoes calcification, is invaded by blood vessels and osteogenic cells, and is replaced by bone tissue (18). To investigate at the molecular level the differentiation of hypertrophic cartilage chondrocytes we have used an in vitro system starting with tibial chondrocytes of early stage chick embryos (3). In this system, chondrocytes obtained by enzymatic dissociation of stage 28-30 (9) embryo tibiae, passaged on tissue culture dishes, assum...