Ja. Loffler et al., EXPERIMENTAL TISSUE EXPANSION INDUCES CHANGES IN EXPRESSION OF PROCOLLAGEN-I AND PROCOLLAGEN-III MESSENGER-RNA, European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology, 252(8), 1995, pp. 475-477
Experimental tissue expansion was performed in nine dogs following pla
cement of subcutaneous silicone balloons. The balloon expander was the
n filled with 300 ml saline immediately after implantation. Duration o
f expansion varied from 3 days to 124 days. Unaffected skin and skin o
ver an empty expander served as control tissue. Dermal procollagen I a
nd procollagen III gene expression: in response to tissue expansion wa
s investigated by dot-blot analysis using digoxigenin-labeled RNA prob
es complementary to either human procollagen-alpha 1(I) mRNA or procol
lagen-alpha(III) mRNA. Cross-hybridization of human probes with canine
procollagen mRNA was demonstrated by Northern blot analysis. In respo
nse to the trauma of surgery, procollagen I and III mRNA transcription
s were found to be decreased significantly within the first few days a
fter implantation. After 9 days of expansion, increased levels of proc
ollagen I mRNA were found, while after 16 days increased levels of pro
collagen III mRNA were evident. The present study is the first to demo
nstrate changes-in dermal collagen gene expression as a reaction to ti
ssue expansion.