Hyaline cartilage of the talus of a diastrophic dwarf was studied by light and transmission electron microscopy before and after proteoglycan extraction or digestion, glycogen digestion, and enzyme marking. The nuclei of the chondrocytes were as a rule large and round and the cytoplasm contained large vacuoles. Best's carmine stained the cytoplasm of most cells red; after diastase digestion the cytoplasm remained unstained. This suggested that the cells contained glycogen. This observation was complimented by the ultrastructural demonstration of large amounts of glycogen. Cell scars were frequent. The shape and state of activity of the cells as well as the development of intracytoplasmic organelles showed great variability. The matrix showed many areas of degeneration and a general dearth of sulphated acid mucopolysaccharides. A lacey pattern of unmasked collagen fibers was frequently seen. Collagen fibers showed a great variability in diameter and often appeared frayed when examined by electron microscopy. These observations suggest an enzymatic deficiency in chondrocyte mucopolysaccharide and glucose metabolism. The techniques we used when added to biochemical studies should prove useful in the investigation of human dwarfism.
Striated fibres showing a beaded appearance in the electron microscope were prepared from the insoluble collagen residue of foetal nucleus pulposus. The assembling and stability of the beaded fibres are controlled to a significant degree by electrostatic forces. In acid solutions (pH 2·0) the organization of the structures is preserved. Analytical data on the preparations show the presence of proteoglycans containing chondroitin sulphate and keratan sulphate, as well as collagen.
Using the transmission electron microscope, we sought to describe the morphology of thallium sulfate-induced chondrodystrophy in chick embryos. There was cell death and degeneration in all zones of growth cartilage, but the cells and matrix of the hypertrophic zone were the most severely affected. Ultrastructural changes of the hypertrophic chondrocytes consisted of alteration of the cytoplasmic contents and of the intercellular matrix; the cell membrane was smooth and without cytoplasmic extensions. The cytoplasm was filled with dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum, vacuoles of varying sizes and contents, and lipidlike bodies with electron-dense granules; mineral crystals, collagen, and degenerating mitochondria were present. The matrix showed only spotty calcification and a reduced number of dense bodies, vesicles, and granules. The cells appeared to have failed to exteriorize cell products across the plasmalemma. Failure to exteriorize cell products and to form cytoplasmic processes reduced the number of potential nucleation sites for calcification. The ultrastructure of osteocytes was much less affected.
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