Matrix in cartilage and bone development: current views on the function and regulation of major organic components

Study of the growth and development of cartilage and bone has been difficult because the structure of the tissues makes biological experiments hard to conduct. Recent advances in molecular biology have offered new possibilities for studying these processes. Many cartilage and bone specific cDNAs have been cloned and characterized and consequently used to localize the corresponding mRNAs in tissue sections. Developing cartilage and bone serve as a model for the study of extracellular matrix gene regulation during the proliferation, growth and differentiation of connective tissue cells. Normal skeletal growth and development are regulated by both systemic and local factors. The effects of many systemic hormones on bone metabolism have been studied extensively, but the pathways triggered by these hormones in the target cells are less well known. Recent evidence suggests that some growth factors, such as TGF-beta, IGFs and PDGF, act as local regulators of cartilage and bone metabolism. The different extracellular matrix components, e.g. collagens, are expressed differently in distinct cell types and developmental stages during cartilage and bone development. This model, therefore, facilitates the study of relations between the production of the various extracellular matrix components and the growth factors and the proto-oncogenes which may regulate them. Existing knowledge of the expression of major cartilage and bone components and their regulation during growth, differentiation and development is reviewed. An understanding of the normal growth and development of cartilage and bone is fundamental for elucidating the mechanisms underlying the various diseases -- both hereditary and acquired -- affecting the human skeleton.