The temporal and spatial separation of specific syntheses in the process of chondrogenesis (electron microscopic...

The ultrastructural of the chondroblasts was investigated in vitro by the methods of light and electron microscopy, determining the degree of differentiation of the individual cells. It was found that in the process of differentiation, the surface area of the membranes of the rough endoplasmic reticulum undergoes a five-fold increase, while the concentration of free ribosomes in the cytoplasm decreases. The total concentration of free ribosomes and those attached to the membranes per unit volume is unchanged and is approximately 5500 ribosomes per mu3. The use of H3-proline showed that collagen is synthesized on free polyribosomes in the cytoplasm, and not on the rough endoplasmic reticulum. A hypothesis was advanced on the temporal and spatial separation of specific syntheses in the cartilage, playing an important role in the differentiation of the chondroblasts.