Ultrastructural and histochemical studies of the epiphyseal plate in normal chicks

Chondrocytes in the epiphyseal plate undergo a series of well-defined stages, each stage containing a morphologically homogeneous cell population. However, biochemical studies show that there are some functionally heterogeneous cell types in the calcifying zone of the chick epiphyseal plate.

We studied the sequence of chondrocytic maturation in the normal chick epiphyseal plate ultrastructurally and histochemically. Chondrocytes in the calcifying zone were of three distinct types, the appearance of each cell type being closely related to the stage of matrix calcification.

Clear cells were observed in the upper calcifying region, stellate cells appeared in the middle calcifying region, and hypertrophic clear cells appeared in the lower calcifying region. Rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and lysosome-rich cells were found, these being limited to the outermost layers of the calcifying zone and containing ACPase-positive products. Osteoclasts were attached to the matrix near the RER and lysosome-rich cells in the poorly calcified regions.

We hypothesized that each cell type played a different role in the initiation, progression, and maintenance of cartilage calcification. RER and lysosome-rich cells may be responsible for the resorption of uncalcified cartilage matrix, this resulting in induction of the osteoclastic resorption of the calcified matrix. In addition, the fate of the chondrocytes was twofold: hypertrophic clear cells died, while the RER and lysosome-rich cells survived, suggesting that these cells were transformed into osteogenic cells.