Regional differences of dura osteoinduction: squamous dura induces osteogenesis, sutural dura induces chondrogenesis...

Dura plays an important role in calvarial morphogenesis. However, precisely what that role is remains unclear. We present here in vivo evidence that dura without other central nervous system components induces both chondrogenesis and osteogenesis. The mechanism is, at least in part, by proximate tissue interaction. The objectives of this experiment were to answer the following: (1) Can dura actually induce osteogenesis without the influence of the underlying brain? (2) What are the requirements of this dura-induced heterotopic osteogenesis? (3) What are the differences between dura underlying sutures and dura underlying the squamous portions of the cranial bones? Dura underlying the metopic, sagittal, and lambdoidal sutures and dura underlying the flat portions of frontal and parietal bones were obtained from neonatal Lewis rats and transplanted into the posterior thoraces of adult Lewis recipients. In group I, dura underlying the metopic, sagittal, and lambdoidal sutures (n = 20) and dura underlying the flat portions of frontal and parietal bones (n = 20) were transplanted individually into separate epitheliomesenchymal pockets. Group II animals had dura underlying the metopic, sagittal, and lambdoidal sutures (n = 10) and dura underlying the flat portions of frontal and parietal bones (n = 10) transplanted individually into surgically created mesenchymal pockets by placing the dura grafts between panniculus carnosus and latissimus dorsi muscles. The animals were sacrificed at 2-week intervals. Light microscopy, special histochemical analysis, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy were performed. Bone formation was seen in 15 of the 18 animals (83 percent) in group I. No bone or cartilage formation was seen in group II. Chondrogenesis was seen in 4 animals receiving dura underlying the metopic, sagittal, and lambdoidal sutures in group I. Cellular hyperproliferation was seen at 2 weeks when dura was transplanted close to the hair follicles. These cells had a high nucleus-to-cytoplasm ratio and were positive for transforming growth factor beta. This hyperproliferation was followed by production and accumulation of Alcian blue-positive extracellular matrix that resisted digestion by hyaluronidase. Cellularly active cartilage was seen at 6 weeks. There was no chondrogenesis in animals receiving dura underlying the flat portions of frontal and parietal bones in group I. Electron microscopy demonstrated the presence of proteoglycan-like ground substance and type II collagen in the inner layer of sutural dura and the predominance of dense type I collagen in the squamous dura and the external layer of the sutural dura. The important findings of this experiment are that (1) heterotopically transplanted neonatal dura can induce osteogenesis, (2) this heterotopic osteoinduction by dura requires epitheliomesenchymal interaction, and (3) separating dura into sutural dura and squamous dura, chondrogenesis occasionally occurred in addition to osteogenesis with the former, while only membranous ossification occurred with the latter, indicating intrinsic differences within the dura mater. This dural heterogeneity is supported by direct ultrastructural data.