Fig. 5.

Cadherin adhesion is required for chondrocyte rotation. (A-H) When cadherin binding is inhibited by chelation of extracellular calcium by EGTA, daughter cell rearrangement is terminated prematurely, resulting in misalignment with respect to surrounding columns (A-D). The same phenotype is observed via competitive inhibition of calcium-cadherin binding by cadmium (E-H). (I-L) With both treatments, cells continue to divide as expected with a strong bias towards 90° (I,K), but an incomplete rotation occurs (J,L) causing disrupted daughter cell stacking. (M) A statistically significant decrease in the distance the mitotic junction rotates is seen after EGTA or cadmium addition to growth plate explant culture during time-lapse imaging (***P<0.0001).