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Induction of Cells with a Chondrocyte-like Phenotype by Treatment with 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D₃ in a Human Salivary Acinar Cell Line¹

Second Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tokushima University School of Dentistry, 3 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima 770, Japan

A clonal cell with an acinar cell phenotype, which was induced by 5-azacytidine treatment of a neoplastic human salivary intercalated duct cell line, was cultivated in the presence of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃. Morphological changes occurred; large cells that were polygonal or round in shape and had numerous vacuoles in their cytoplasm appeared in the treated cells, whereas the same concentration of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ did not affect the morphology of the parental cells. Major alterations, such as expression of type II collagen, and ß chains of S-100 protein, and sulfated proteoglycans, were observed in these cells with a phenotype similar to chondrocytes. After the removal of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃ from the culture, the treated cells returned rapidly to the phenotype of the untreated cells. These findings indicate that the reversible differentiation into chondrocyte-like cells of a human salivary acinar cell line occurs in growth medium containing 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃.

¹ This investigation was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for Cancer Research and for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received 10/28/88. Revised 2/27/89. Revised 6/ 1/89. Accepted 6/29/89.