An Analysis of Fibrous Long Spacing Forms of Collagen
- 1 January 1972
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Connective Tissue Research
- Vol. 1 (1) , 31-37
- https://doi.org/10.3109/03008207209152053
Abstract
An electron microscopic analysis has been made of the various polymorphic forms of fibrous long spacing (FLS) calf-skin collagen, obtained by precipitation in the presence of chondroitin sulphate. Anti-parallel packing of tropocollagen macroniolecules with opposing ends in register is a feature common to all the FLS polymorphic forms. The glycosaminoglycans-mediated intermolecular contacts which lead to this anti-parallel association can also give rise to non-fibrous symmetrical segments. To account for the observed fibrous structures it is sufficient to suppose that two additional glycosaminoglycans-mediated inrermolecular contacts may occur. One of these causes adjoining tropocollagen units to be mutually overlapped by 0.154 L and the other by 0.425 L (L is the length of a tropocollagen macromolecule). These additional contacts may occur separately, giving FLS I and FLS IV respectively, or they may occur together, given FLS II and 111 and more complex structures. In FLS formation, the usual native-type contacts are completely inhibited by the glycosaminoglycans. Glutaraldehyde treatment does not (as has previously been suggested) bring about a conversion to native-type banding.Keywords
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