title: Synthesis of collagen type I, type I trimer and type III by embryonic mouse dental epithelial and mesenchymal cells in vitro.
abstract: Epithelial and mesenchymal dental cells were grown in primary monolayer culture and the ability of both cell types to synthesize interstitial collagens was investigated. Pepsin-solubilized collagens were analyzed by CM-cellulose chromatography and both cell types were found to synthesize collagen type I, type III and type I trimer. The collagen phenotype of mesenchymal cells (type I: 82.4%, type III: 8.5%, type I trimer: 9.1%) was different from that of epithelial cells (type I: 71.8%, type III: 9.5%, type I trimer: 18.7%). The radioactivity incorporated into collagen molecules by mesenchymal cells was 34-times greater than the radioactivity incorporated by epithelial cells. This result agreed with previous observations obtained from tissue culture experiments (Lesot, H. and Ruch, J.V. (1979) Biol. Cell. 34, 23--37) which indicated a low synthesis of interstitial collagens by isolated dental epithelia when compared to isolated dental mesenchymes.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D003094:Collagen / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D003771:Dental Papilla / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D011247:Pregnancy; D014083:Tooth Germ / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen