Bone formation in organ cultures of bone marrow

Abstract

Bone formation in organ cultures of intact marrow fragments from mouse is described. Marrow explants were cultured on the top surface of a millipore filter at a gas-liquid interface. Observations with both light- and electron microscopes demonstrated the formation of a well-organised trabecular matrix lined with osteoblast-like cells. The tissue and cells were positive for alkaline-phosphatase activity. Large amounts of thick, well-banded collagen fibrils and matrix vesicles typical of those found in bone were present. The tissue became mineralised in the presence of 10 mM Na-beta-glycerophosphate; in its absence a similar trabecular matrix developed but mineralisation did not take place.

Expression of human bone-related proteins in the hematopoietic microenvironment.

“…Our that organ cultures of murine marrow, or marrow stromal cells, have bone-forming potential both in vivo (using diffusion chambers) and in vitro (7,40,41). These investigators further identified an osteogenic cell phenotype in a subpopulation of adherent bone marrow fibroblasts, localized near the (endosteal) bone surface (40,42).…”

Demonstration of an osteoblast defect in two cases of human malignant osteopetrosis. Correction of the phenotype after bone marrow transplant.

“…A marrow stromal rather than hematopoietic origin of osteoblasts is supported by the induction of chondrogenesis and osteogenesis of bone marrow fragment or cell suspensions transplanted in vivo within diffusion chambers (30), by sequential histological examinations (31), and because bone marrow primary cultures can give rise to osteogenic, osteoblast-like stromal cell cultures (32,33), and cell lines (34). Histological and functional evidence in animal models suggest that osteoblasts can be defective in this disease.…”

Detection of Vascular Dendritic Cells and Extracellular Calcium-Binding Protein S-100 in Foci of Calcification in Human Arteries.

“…It is also possible that there are several sources of calcifying vascular cells in the arterial wall just as in bone where colony-forming unit fibroblasts (CFU-f) [3,4,29] as well as osteoblasts [23] participate in bone formation. Studies on the nature of the developmental lineages leading to the formation of bone cell types in humans, namely the osteoblast, osteoclast and CFU-f, suggest that osteoclasts may be the progeny of macrophages/monocytes [2,15,23] whereas osteoblast and CFU-f arise in some unknown manner from local mesenchymal cells and, as such, they do not express the panhaematopoietic cell surface antigen CD34 and fail to respond to haematopoietic growth factors [27,28].…”