Work

The phenotypic characterization of mouse floxed Fam20b chondrocytes, a novel articular cartilage-derived cell line with differentiation potential

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: FAM20B is a newly identified kinase involved in proteoglycan biosynthesis. Proteoglycans are essential for chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation. FAM20B is highly expressed in articular cartilage. Inactivate Fam20b in mouse epiphyseal cartilage cause chondrosarcoma in the knee joint. While the role of FAM20B in chondrocyte biology has not been well elucidated. Limitations in the primary culture of chondrocytes necessitate the development of chondrocyte cell lines. Here we report the immortalization and characterization of mouse floxed Fam20b chondrocytes. Chondrocytes were isolated from murine patellae heads and immortalized using lentivirus containing Simian Virus 40 T-antigen (SV40 T-Ag). The immortalized cell line was verified by genomic integration of SV40 T-Ag and proliferated at a high rate relative to their primary counterparts. The immortalized chondrocyte cell line not only retained the typical ultrastructural morphology and important phenotypic characteristics of articular cartilage, but also possessed strong differentiation potential upon three-dimensional pellet culture. In summary, this study describes the establishment of mouse floxed Fam20b chondrocyte cell line that could be used as an alternative for the limited number of articular chondrocyte cell lines or could be useful in studies of chondrocyte differentiation. By introducing the Cre recombinase, this cell line can be transformed into Fam20b-deficient cell line which can serve as an excellent tool to studies of FAM20B in cartilage diseases.

Source: Regenerative Therapy

DOI: 10.1016/j.reth.2025.02.003