Cellular interactions regulate stem cell differentiation in tri-culture.

Currently, the mechanism governing the regeneration of the soft tissue-to-bone interface, such as the transition between the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and bone, is not known. Focusing on the ACL-to-bone insertion, this study tests the novel hypothesis that interactions between cells from the ligament (fibroblasts) and bone (osteoblasts) initiate interface regeneration. Specifically, these heterotypic cell interactions direct the fibrochondrogenic differentiation of interface-relevant cell populations, defined here as ligament fibroblasts and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC). The objective of this study is to examine the effects of heterotypic cellular interactions on BMSC or fibroblast growth and biosynthesis, as well as expression of fibrocartilage-relevant markers in tri-culture. The effects of cell-cell physical contact and paracrine interactions between fibroblasts and osteoblasts were also determined. It was found that, in tri-culture with fibroblasts and osteoblasts, BMSC exhibited greater fibrochondrogenic potential than ligament fibroblasts. The growth of BMSC decreased while proteoglycan production and TGF-β3 expression increased. Moreover, tri-culture regulated BMSC response via paracrine factors, and interestingly, fibroblast-osteoblast contact further promoted proteoglycan and TGF-β1 synthesis as well as induced SOX9 expression in BMSC. Collectively, the findings of this study suggest that fibroblast-osteoblast interactions play an important role in regulating the stem cell niche for fibrocartilage regeneration, and the mechanisms of these interactions are directed by paracrine factors and augmented with direct cell-cell contact.