Secretion and binding of transforming growth factor β by scleroderma and normal dermal fibroblasts

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Abstract
The production and binding of transforming growth factor β (TGF/β) were compared in dermal fibroblast lines derived from scleroderma patients and normal control donors. The mean ± SEM 24-hour level of secretion of TGFβ by fibroblast lines derived from the involved skin of scleroderma patients was 30.8 ± 5.5 pmoles/106 cells, and it was 29.7 ± 5.8 pmoles/106 cells for fibroblast lines derived from the normal skin of the healthy donors. Thus, we found that the fibroblasts themselves produced TGFβ. TGFβ production was equivalent in fibroblast lines derived from clinically involved and uninvolved skin of scleroderma patients. The mean ± SEM number of TGFβ receptors per cell on scleroderma fibroblasts was 9,736 ± 1,375, with a mean ± SEM Kd of 25.2 ± 3.9 pM. This value was similar in control fibroblasts, at 12,431 ± 2,425 TGFβ receptors per cell, with a mean ± SEM Kd of 27.1 ± 5.2 pM.