COLLAGEN BIOSYNTHESIS IN CELL-CULTURE FROM CHORIONIC VILLI

After chorionic villus biopsy of human placenta, cell cultures were pr opagated with Ham's F10 medium or Eagle's minimum essential medium (ME M). It was possible to study the morphology of the cells by transmissi on electron microscopy (TEM) after a special culture of the cells in a collagen gel. The cells embedded in a collagen gel were able to contr act the gel and to organize collagen fibres, as fibroblast cultures do . TEM showed vacuolization and well-developed cisternae of the endopla smic reticulum, especially in the case of MEM culture. The aim was to determine whether cells cultivated from early placenta were able to sy nthesize enough collagen for a metabolic study. A high level of collag en biosynthesis could be quantified. Types I and III collagen can be d etermined which is useful for studying the abnormalities of collagen s ynthesis in suspected cases of osteogenesis imperfecta or Ehlers-Danlo s type IV syndrome. The hydroxylation of lysine can also be studied wi th respect to Ehlers-Danlos type VI syndrome. Moreover, these cells, i n contrast to fibroblast cultures, made it possible to study the biosy nthesis of type IV collagen.