Developmental control of chondrogenesis and osteogenesis

Abstract excerpt

During vertebrate embryogenesis, bones of the vertebral column, pelvis, and upper and lower limbs, are formed on an initial cartilaginous model. This process, called endochondral ossification, is characterized by a precise series of events such as aggregation and differentiation of mesenchymal cells, and proliferation, hypertrophy and death of chondrocytes. Bone formation initiates in the collar surrounding the...