The Journal of Cell Biology, Vol 98, 90-96, Copyright © 1984 by The Rockefeller University Press
Regulation of connective tissue collagenase production: stimulators from adult and fetal epidermal cells
B Johnson-Wint and J Gross
We have examined the ability of primary adult rabbit skin cells to regulate
collagenase production in vitro. Dermal cells constitutively produce
collagenase in culture, and enzyme production by these cells can be
influenced by epithelial cells. Co-culture with skin epidermal cells
resulted in more enzyme production by dermal cells, whereas co- culture
with corneal epithelial cells yielded less enzyme activity. Connective
tissue cells from a different source, cornea, also produced collagenase
when co-cultured with skin epidermal cells, although the stromal cells
alone made no enzyme. The drug cytochalasin B had very little influence on
collagenase production by dermal cells, either alone or in co-culture with
epidermal cells, but did significantly potentiate enzyme production by
corneal stromal cells responding to epidermal effector molecules.
Epidermal-cell-conditioned medium from both fetal and adult rabbit skin was
a potent source of stimulators (apparent mol wt 20,500 and 55,000) of
connective-tissue-cell collagenase production. Stimulator production by
epidermal cultures was cell density dependent. Optimal production of
stimulators occurred in adult cultures containing 10(6) epidermal cells/ml
of medium, and in fetal cultures containing 10(5) cells/ml. Inhibitors of
connective tissue cell enzyme production were not detected in conditioned
medium from either adult or fetal epidermal cells.
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