The Cytodifferentiation of Osteoblasts in Tissue Culture

Abstract

Bone was explanted from chick embryos into multipurpose culture chambers using strips of cellophane to overlay the bone tissue. The explants were observed through phase-contrast microscopy. The outgrowth was stained for alkaline-phosphatase and by the PAS method as well as routine procedures. This technique in which dialysis cellophane was used to anchor the bone fragments in place of plasma clots produced a flat field in which it could be seen that there were two types of cells (1) fibroblastoid cells, and (2) osteoblasts. Although there was no new bone formation in vitro the heavily granulated cell resembled osteoblasts seen in embryonic bone tissue in vivo.