Regulation of collagen production in fibroblasts cultured from normal and phenytoin-induced hyperplastic human gingiva

1600-0765

Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005

Medicine

We have studied how collagen production is regulated in fibroblasts obtained from normal and phenytoin-induced hyperplastic human gingiva. Collagen production was determined as collagenase digestible radioactivity and degradation was examined by adding labelled procollagen to the cultures and by pulselabelling in the presence of lysosomal inhibitors. Collagen mRNA levels were measured using a [35S]-UTP labelled proα[1] probe. The normal and phenytoininduced fibroblasts did not degrade collagen extracellularly and lysosomal inhibitors did not enhance collagen production in either culture. Collagen production by the cultures correlated with mRNA levels, and in 2 of 3 phenytoin-induced fibroblasts, which produced more collagen than other cells. collagen mRNA levels were higher. We conclude that collagen production in gingival fibroblasts is primarily regulated by the mRNA levels and that overproduction of collagen by cells from phenytoin-induced hyperplastic gingiva results from an increased steady state level of collagen mRNA and not decreased collagen degradation.

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