Summary
The menisci are first seen as triangular aggregations of cells in the 20-day rabbit fetus. At 25-days, a matrix that contains types I, III and V collagens has formed. These collagens are also found in the 1-week neonatal meniscus, but by 3 weeks, type II collagen is present in some regions. By 12 to 14 weeks, typically cartilaginous areas with large cells in lacunae are found and by 2 years, these occupy the central regions of the inner two-thirds of the meniscus. The surface layers of the meniscus contain predominantly type I collagen. From 12 to 14 weeks onwards, there is little overlap between the regions with types I or II collagens, that is, these are discrete regions of type I-containing fibrocartilage and type II-containing cartilage. Types III and V collagens are found throughout the menisci, particularly in the pericellular regions.
All the cells in the fetal and early neonatal menisci express the mRNA for type I collagen. At 3 weeks postnatal, cells that express type I collagen mRNA are found throughout the meniscus, but type II collagen mRNA is expressed only in the regions of developing cartilage. At 12- to 14-weeks, only type II collagen mRNA is expressed, except at the periphery next to the ligament where a few cells still express type I collagen mRNA. Rabbit menisci, therefore, undergo profound changes in their content and arrangement of collagens during postnatal development.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersen, H. (1961) Histochemical studies on the histogenesis of the knee joint and superior tibio-fibular joint in human foetuses.Acta Anat. 46, 279–303.
Arnoczky, S., Adams, M., Dehaven, K., Eyre, D. & Mow, V. (1988) Meniscus. InInjury and repair of musculoskeletal Soft Tissues (edited by S. Woo), pp. 487–537. American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.
Birk, D. E., Fitch, J. M., Babiarz, J. P., Doane, K. J. &Linsenmayer, T. F. (1990) Collagen fibrillogenesisin vitro: interaction of types I and V collagen regulates fibril diameter.J. Cell Sci. 95, 649–57.
Bland, Y. S., Critchlow, M. A. &Ashhurst, D. E. (1991) Digoxigenin as a probe label for in situ hybridization on skeletal tissues.Histochem. J.,23, 415–18.
Cheung, H. S. (1987) Distribution of type I, II, III and V in the pepsin solubilized collagens in bovine meniscus.Connective Tiss. Res. 16, 343–56.
Clark, C. R. &Ogden, J. A. (1983) The development of the menisci of the human knee joint.J. Bone Joint Surg. 85A, 538–47.
Critchlow, M. A., Bland, Y. S., &Ashhurst, D. E. (1995) The expression of collagen mRNAs in normally developing neonatal rabbit long bones and after treatment of neonatal and adult rabbit tibia with transforming growth factor-β2.Histochem. J. 27, 505–15.
Eyre, D. R. &Wu, J. J. (1983) Collagen of fibrocartilage: a distinctive molecular phenotype in bovine meniscus.FEBS Letts.158, 265–70.
Fichard, A., Kleman, J.-P., &Ruggiero, F. (1994) Another look at collagen V and XI molecules.Matrix Biology 14, 515–31.
Ganey, T. M., Ogden, J. A., Abou-Madi, N., Colville, B., Zdyziarski, J. M. &Olsen, J. H. (1994) Meniscal ossification. II The normal pattern in the tiger knee.Skeletal Radiol. 23, 173–9.
Gardner, E. &O'Rahilly, R. (1980) The early development of the knee joint in staged human embryos.J. Anat. 102, 289–99
Ghadially, F. N., Thomas, I., Yong, N. &Lalonde, J.-M.A. (1978) Ultrastructure of rabbit semi-lunar cartilages.J. Anat. 125, 499–517.
Klompmaker, J., Jansen, H. W. B., Veth, R. P. H., Nielsen, H. K. L., De Groot, J. H., Pennings, A. J. &Kuiter, R. (1992) Meniscal repair by fibrocartilage? An experimental study in the dog.J. Orthop. Res. 10, 359–70.
Mäkelä, J. R., Raassina, M., Virta, A. &Vuorio, E. (1988) Human proa1(I) collagen: cDNA sequence for the C-propeptide domain.Nucleic Acids Res. 16, 349.
McDevitt, C. A. &Webber, R. J. (1990) The ultrastructure and biochemistry of meniscal cartilage.Clin. Orthop. Rel. Res. 252, 8–18.
Mendler, M., Eich-Bender, S. G., Vaughn, L., Winterhalter, K. H. &Bruckner, P. (1989) Cartilage contains mixed fibrils of collagen types II, IX, and XI.J. Cell Biol. 108, 191–7.
Metsäranta, M., Kujala, U. M., Pelliniemi, L., Österman, H., Aho, H. & Vuorio, E. (1996) Molecular biologic evidence for insufficient chondrocytic differentiation during repair of full-thickness defects of articular cartilage.Matrix Biology, in press.
Page, M., Hogg, J. &Ashhurst, D. E. (1986) The effects of mechanical stability on the macromolecules of the connective tissue matrices produced during fracture healing. I. The collagens.Histochem. J. 18, 251–65.
Pedersen, H. E. (1949) The ossicles of the semilunar cartilages of rodents.Anat. Rec. 105, 1–9.
Pedrini-Mille, A., Pedrini, V. A., Maynard, J. A., &Vailas, A. C. (1988) Response of immature chicken meniscus to strenuous exercise: biochemical studies of proteoglycan and collagen.J. Orthop. Res. 6, 196–204.
Somer, L. &Somer, T. (1983) Is the meniscus of the knee joint a fibrocartilage?Acta Anat. 116, 234–44.
Spindler, K. P., Miller, R. R., Andrish, J. T. &McDevitt, C. A. (1994) Comparison of collagen synthesis in the peripheral and central region of the canine meniscus.Clin. Orthop. Rel. Res. 303, 256–63.
Wallace, C. D., &Amiel, D. (1991) Vascular assessment of the periarticular ligaments of the rabbit knee.J. Orthop. Res. 9, 787–91.
Wu, J.-J., Eyre, D. R. &Slayter, H.-S. (1987) Type VI collagen of the intervertebral disc.Biochem. J. 248, 373–81.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bland, Y.S., Ashhurst, D.E. Changes in the content of the fibrillar collagens and the expression of their mRNAs in the menisci of the rabbit knee joint during development and ageing. Histochem J 28, 265–274 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02409014
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02409014