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Collagen mRNA levels in the gingival cells of molars and incisors in rats were measured and correlated with the ratio of interstitial collagen to DNA in these regions. Hybridization of 32P-labeled specific cDNA probes for collagen types I and III with total RNA isolated from gingival tissue of rat molars and incisors showed that the steady-state levels of mRNAs of type I was significantly higher in the molars than in the incisors (molars/incisors = 2.12 +/- 0.12, P < 0.004). However, the ratio of interstitial collagen to DNA in the gingiva of the molars was significantly lower than that found in the incisors (collagen/DNA = 4.13 +/- 0.90 and 12.89 +/- 1.24 respectively, P < 0.001). It is suggested that the difference between the mRNA levels and those of interstitial collagen may reflect an intrinsic characteristic presumably associated with the different modes of mastication between molars and incisors of the rat.