Ultrastructure of multilayered cultures of human gingival epithelial cells: attachment to enamel surfaces in vitro.

Human gingival cells were collected using an enzymatic procedure and seeded on a feeder layer of irradiated mouse 3T3 fibroblasts. Epithelial cells generate stratified colonies ultimately forming an epithelium which was studied using electron microscopy. When this epithelium-like structure was dispased and transferred to enamel surfaces, the relationship between basal cells and enamel corresponded to half-desmosomes and a discontinuous extracellular matrix.