A PURE STRAIN OF CARTILAGE CELLS IN VITRO

1. A strain of cartilage cells, obtained from the pars cartilago scleræ of the eye of chick embryos, has been cultivated for more than 3 months in vitro. 2. The initial growth of the cartilage was possible only on the free surface of the coagulum. 3. The hyaline substance disappeared during cultivation in vitro. The succeeding stages of a transformation from small, lymphocyte-like cells into large, spindle-shaped cells were observed. The cartilage cells were spindle-shaped and grew in close contact, forming thin membranes. In surface-grown cartilage cells, the nucleus, usually containing one large nucleolus, stained less deeply than the cytoplasm. 4. The rate of growth of cartilage was slower than that of fibroblasts and epithelium. After cultivation on the surface of the coagulum, the cartilage cells could multiply even when embedded in the coagulum. But their growth was less extensive and uniform.