Summary
The cartilage matrix in which the early calcium salts are deposited has been studied in the tibial epiphyses and in the costo-chondral junctions of 30-day-old guinea pigs. The results may be summarized as follows:
(1) Structures of globular shape (“globules”) are to be found throughout the entire epiphyseal plate. (2) They have a homogeneous matrix and are bounded by a membrane. (3) Early calcification occurs in globules. Calcification of collagen fibrils seems to occur later. (4) The earliest mineral deposited would seem to consist of tiny granules about 20 Å in diameter. Then apatite crystals are laid down, initially in small clusters and later filling the globules completely. (5) The globules are strongly osmiophilic. They seem to contain a fair amount of neutral polysaccharides, but no acid polysaccharides except a coating on their outer membrane. Hyaluronidase digestion does not affect globules. Papain digestion makes them more reactive to uranium and lead. (6) Globules are of cellular origin but they are almost certainly not pre-formed in the chondrocytes. Finally, the present paper advances the hypothesis that some globules derive from degenerating chondrocytes and others from the processes of normal chondrocytes.
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The author is indebted to Mr. A. Benvenuti for his technical assistance. This work was supported by a grant from the Italian Research Council.
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Bonucci, E. Fine structure and histochemistry of “calcifying globules” in epiphyseal cartilage. Z. Zellforsch. 103, 192–217 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00337312
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00337312