Synthesis of collagen type I, type I trimer and type III by embryonic mouse dental epithelial and mesenchymal cells in vitro.

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.