The Growth of Cartilage Cells in Soft Agar and Liquid Suspension

A considerable body of literature indicates that on monolayer culture, embryonic chick cartilage cells are obtained which morphologically and biochemically behave as chondrocytes (1). Earlier studies suggested that repeated monolayer culture results in "dedifferentiation " of chondro-cytes to give fibroblast-like cells. Coon (2) has demonstrated that with appropriate media, in low density cultures, it is possible to obtain stable clones of polygonal cells which form metachromatic matrix. More recently, Bryan (3) has shown that the development of fibroblast-like 434 B R I E F N 0 T E Scells in cartilage cultures is probably due to overgrowth of fibroblasts from the original culture. Since the enzymic steps involved in chondromucoprotein