Growth and differentiation of primary chick embryonic chondrocytes on agar plates

Freshly dissociated chondrocytes from chick embryonic sterna grew on the surface of solid substratum made of agar or agarose. The chondrocytes retained their differentiated traits such as morphology including intracellular organella and matrix forming ability. Extracellular matrix deposited around the cells exhibited strong metachromasia by staining with toluidine blue. Fibrous network was formed in the extracellular matrix. These characteristics are quite similar to those of the differentiated cartilage tissue. The agar plate seems useful in culturing the differentiated chondrocyte either in mass culture or clonal culture.