The proto-oncogene C-raf-1 is highly expressed only in the hypertrophic zone of the growth plate

Proto-oncogene c-raf-1, the cellular homologue of the acutely transforming oncogene v-raf, has a central role in the signal tranduction pathways. The growth plate, due to its non-overlapping zones of chondrocyte maturation, provides a physiological in situ model for investigating the role of c-raf-1 in proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes. In this study, Northern blotting was first performed to examine the expression of mRNA for c-raf-1 in the embryonic chick tibial growth plate. It revealed that the normal levels of c-raf-1 mRNA were associated with the whole growth plate. We then investigated the localization of c-raf-1 mRNA and c-raf-1 protein in the growth plate by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry in order to determine whether c-raf-1 is involved in chondrocyte maturation. Our results showed that c-raf-1 mRNA and c-raf-1 protein were detected only in the hypertrophic zone. The data suggest involvement of this proto-oncogene in chondrocyte differentiation and/or hypertrophy rather than in proliferation.