In Vitro Synthesis of Acid Mucopolysaccharides by Human Gingival Fibroblasts
JOHN F. GOGGINS 1 and
LLOYD C. BILLUPS 1
1 Histochemistry Section, Experimental Pathology Branch, National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20014, USA
Matched cultures of skin and gingival fibroblasts were incubated in vitro with radiolabeled precursors of acid mucopolysaccharides. Cells from both tissues incorporated the precursors into acid mucopolysaccharide fractions that were similar both in the amount of label incorporated and in the chromatographic behavior of the labeled compounds. Therefore, it appears that reported differences in acid mucopolysaccharide metabolism of skin and gingiva are due more to factors that affect the tissues than to inherent differences in the connective tissue cells themselves.
