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Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advancing Tendon Research by Developing Mouse Assembloids to Understand Cellular Mechanisms
Published on: March 22, 2024
Bi-directional modulation of cellular interactions in an in vitro co-culture model of tendon-to-bone interface
I Calejo1,2, Raquel Costa-Almeida1,2, Ana Isabel Gonçalves1,2
13B's Research Group - Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine- Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Barco, Guimarães, Portugal.
Objectives:
This work aimed at studying in vitro interactions between human tendon-derived cells (hTDCs) and pre-osteoblasts (pre-OBs) that may trigger a cascade of events involved in enthesis regeneration.
Materials And Methods:
The effect of 5 osteogenic medium (OM) conditions over the modulation of hTDCs and pre-OBs towards the tenogenic and osteogenic phenotypes, respectively, was studied. Three different medium conditions were chosen for subsequently establishing a direct co-culture system in order to study the expression of bone, tendon and interface-related markers.
Results:
A higher matrix mineralization and ALP activity was observed in co-cultures in the presence of OM. Higher transcription levels of bone- (ALPL, RUNX2, SPP1) and interface-related genes (ACAN, COMP) were found in co-cultures. The expression of aggrecan was influenced by the presence of OM and cell-cell interactions occurring in co-culture.
Conclusions:
The present work assessed both the influence of OM on cell phenotype modulation and the importance of co-culture models while promoting cell-cell interactions and the exchange of soluble factors in triggering an interface-like phenotype to potentially modulate enthesis regeneration.
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