New cell lines with chondrocytic phenotypes from human chondrosarcoma

In the present study, we investigated chondrocytic characterization for newly established human chondrosarcoma cell lines. A chondrosarcoma cell line, HCS-TG, was established by the implantation of grade-2 human chondrosarcoma into athymic mice. Cloning of HCS-TG cells from passage 17 was performed. After cell cloning, two clonal-cell lines (HCS-TG C3 and E2) with good proliferative activities were obtained. These cell lines in monolayer culture retained a polygonal morphology. Their doubling times were 68 h and 45 h, respectively. mRNA expressions of type-I, -II, -X, and -XI collagens and aggrecan core protein were detected on reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Protein expression of type-II collagen was confirmed in each cell line using Western blotting. However, there was no expression of type-I collagen. Moreover, gelatin zymography revealed that both cell lines produced extracellular matrices with matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9. The parental HCS-TG cells had tumorigenicity in athymic mice; however, C3 and E2 were not tumorigenic. New clonal-cell lines HCS-TG C3 and E2 derived from human chondrosarcoma are morphologically chondrocytic in serial monolayer cultures and express chondrocytic phenotypes.