Contribution to the Knowledge of the Fine Structure of Chondrosarcoma of Bone. With a Note on the Localization of Alkaline Phosphatase and »ATPase«

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Abstract
Seven well-differentiated chondrosarcomas of human bone have been analyzed by EM, and the fine structural localization of ATP and nonspecific alkaline phosphatase was elucidated. On the basis of the fine structural appearance, two distinct cell types were shown to constitute the tumor tissue: chondrocyte-like cells and large mitochondria-rich cells. Large, multinucleated cells in the tumor did not seem to correspond to osteoclasts but rather were likely to represent true neoplastic cells. Some chondrocyte-like cells appeared to be binucleated by virtue of deep, groove-like nuclear indentations. ATP and alkaline phosphatase were associated with the plasma membrane of both chondrocyte-like and mitochondria-rich cells suggesting that they might be of common origin. Normal chondroblasts and chondrocytes lack histochemically demonstrable ATP on their plasma membrane. Presence of this enzyme in the tumor cells may indicate that they are histogenetically related to immature non-chondroid matrix forming cells (known to carry the enzymes).