WERNER SYNDROME - NO DIFFERENCE IN INVITRO LIFE-SPAN OF DERMAL FIBROBLASTS FROM PROXIMAL AND DISTAL PARTS OF THE BODY

Recently it has been reported that fibroblasts from distal parts of the body of a patient with Werner's syndrome grew poorly in vitro as compared with those from the proximal part of the same patient. To confirm this observation, cultures of fibroblasts from different parts of the body were set up in 2 cases of Werner's syndrome, but no significant difference in life span was observed. Fetal calf serum (FCS) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) stimulated growth of fibroblasts from different body parts equally well. These data indicate that there is no difference in growth activity of fibroblasts from proximal and distal body parts in patients with Werner's syndrome. Moreover, the growth rate of epidermal outgrowths did not differ significantly between proximal and distal parts of these patients.