Transcriptomic signature of cartilage formation

Chondrogenesis is a multistep process that drives cartilage progenitor cells to generate a tissue with distinct structural and functional properties.We used RNA sequencing to examine the differences between gene expression patterns during early cartilage formation in micromass cultures of embryonic limb bud-derived progenitors. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) based on pairwise comparisons of samples from consecutive days were classified into clusters and analysed. Pathway analysis confirmed the involvement of the top DEGs in chondrogenic differentiation. We identified several transcription factors which have not been associated with cartilage formation.