Proliferation of fibroblasts cultured from normal gingiva and hereditary gingival fibromatosis is dependent on fatty acid synthase activity.
BACKGROUND
Fatty acid synthase (FAS) is the enzyme that synthesizes palmitate from malonyl-CoA and acetyl-CoA. Recent studies have shown that FAS is overexpressed in human cancers and that its activity is necessary for cell proliferation. Hereditary gingival fibromatosis (HGF) is a genetic disease manifested as a progressive enlargement of the gingiva. The pathogenesis of this condition is not understood; however, a proliferative advantage of HGF fibroblasts in comparison with cells from normal gingiva (NG) has been described. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of FAS in NG and HGF fibroblast proliferation.


METHODS
NG and HGF fibroblasts had their proliferative potential assessed by automated cell counting and immunocytochemistry against Ki-67 or proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). The production of FAS, androgen receptor (AR), and ErbB2 was analyzed by Western blot and the pattern of FAS expression studied by immunocytochemistry. FAS activity was blocked by the specific inhibitor cerulenin.


RESULTS
Higher proliferation rates were found in fibroblasts isolated from HGF than from NG. HGF fibroblasts with greater proliferative potential produced more FAS and AR than the cell lines with lower growth rates, and all studied cell lines produced similar amounts of the ErbB2 protein. In addition, the FAS inhibitor cerulenin was able to significantly reduce the proliferation of both NG and HGF cells.


CONCLUSIONS
These results show that FAS is expressed by gingival fibroblasts and that highly proliferative HGF cells produced more FAS and AR than the other fibroblast cell lines. Moreover, FAS inhibition significantly reduced both NG and HGF fibroblast growth, suggesting a role for the androgen-driven fatty acid biosynthesis in their proliferation.
Department of Oral Diagnosis, School of Dentistry of Piracicaba, University of Campinas Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
J P
JP
Almeida
R D
RD
Coletta
S D
SD
Silva
M
M
Agostini
P A
PA
Vargas
L
L
Bozzo
E
E
Graner
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002569:Cerulenin / Q000378:metabolism; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000201:enzymology; D005351:Fibromatosis, Gingival / Q000201:enzymology*; D005881:Gingiva / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013739:Testosterone / Q000378:metabolism
D002569:Cerulenin; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D013739:Testosterone