The effect of polymeric chemistry on the expression of bone-related mRNAs and proteins by human bone-derived cells in vitro.

This study used human bone-derived cells (HBDC) grown on two defined polymeric substrata to examine the effect of substrata chemistry on the expression of mRNAs and proteins characteristic of the osteoblastic phenotype. The growth profile of cells grown on tissue culture polystyrene (TCP) was exponential whereas for those seeded on polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) there was a pronounced lag period before cellular multiplication. The temporal expression pattern of mRNAs in HBDC cultured on TCP was similar to that of cells on PET. On TCP, the levels of several mRNAs peaked at day 4, as cellular proliferation slowed. In contrast, the induction in mRNA levels in cells grown on PET corresponded to maximum mitotic activity. There appears to be sequential cascade in protein expression in cells grown on TCP with overlapping peaks of thrombospondin (Tsp), osteocalcin (OC) and osteopontin (OP) expression. In contrast, peak intracellular protein expression levels for Tsp, OC and OP did not overlap when cells were gro...