In Vitro Analysis of Differential Expression of Collagens, Integrins, and Growth Factors in Cultured Human Chondrocytes

Collagens 3, 4, 8, 9, and 11 might be new markers for the dedifferentiation of chondrocytes. Collagen 2 might be a marker for the synthetic activity of the cells rather than the dedifferentiation. TGF-β3 and -β4 might influence the dedifferentiation, which is fortified by the expression of TGF-β receptor III. Integrin β1, β5, and α5 might be involved in signal transmission for the dedifferentiation.