An osteosarcoma cell and matrix retained morphogen for normal bone formation.

Histophysiology, ultrastructure, chemical analyses of transplants and implants of Dunn and Ridgway mouse osteosarcomas demonstrate that tumorigenesis is a manifestation of deranged morphogenesis in developing mesenchymal cell populations. The end product of development is defective, incompletely calcified, disorganized bone without any inclusions of bone marrow tissue. When Dunn osteosarcoma is freeze-dried and then implanted, the tumor is resorbed and replaced by deposits of normal cartilage, bone, and bone marrow. Freeze-dried Ridgway osteosarcoma is replaced only by a fibrous connective tissue scar. Disaggregated Dunn tumor osteoblasts synthesize a trypsin-labile collagenase-resistant cell surface localized bone morphogen. Tumor matrix stroma, prepared by sequential chemical extraction of soluble non-collagenous proteins also contains significant quantities of the same bone morphogen. Tumor tissue pulverized to particle size as small as 44 micrometer3 transmitted bone morphogen more rapidly than intact tumor tissue. The total tumor cell and stroma mediated bone morphogen produces three times more normal bone than normal cortical bone matrix. Our working hypothesis is that a normal bone morphogenetic polypeptide (BMP) is synthesized by Dunn osteosarcoma cells and retained by the tumor matrix stroma. Neither the mechanism of transmission nor the mesenchymal cell receptor sites of BMP are known.