Fibroblastic origin of bovine gingival collagenase.

The site of collagenase production in explants of bovine gingiva was located by tissue culture techniques. Collagenase was released from the juxta-epithelial connective tissue, but not from the epithelium. Addition of serum to the explants resulted in outgrowth of a single cell type, which was identified as a fibroblast on the basis of culture morphology and light and electron-microscopic characteristics. The fibroblasts elaborated a collagenase that was indistinguishable from the enzyme harvested from whole bovine gingival explants. The enzymes, both of which were released in latent form, had the same molecular size and had common antigenic sites.