An investigation into some of the organic constituents of soft and hard tissues of the body

[摘要] The rolesplayedby fibrous proteins in nature areat present being intensively studied and some of the advancesin our knowledge of these proteins are the subject of severalrecent symposia. (la,b)The powerful techniques of X-ray diffraction endelectron— optic analysis as well as ran unprecendented improvementin the specificity and accuracy of chemical and chromatographicmethods of analysis has led to ever increasing efforts tointerpret biological phenomena within a framework of physicochemicalprinciples. In many fields, particularly those ofvirus research and muscle contraction these efforts have alreadybeen rewarded by a large measure of success.In the present work, which forms part of a programof research into the chemistry of connective tissues of manand other vertebrates, the chemical properties and structuralfeatures of the extracellular collagenous proteins in somecalcified and uncalcified connective tissues are compared.'In vivo' calcification of connective tissue is generallythought to be the result of a physico-chemical combinationbetween lima salt3 and the organic matrix mediated by theionic and structural prop rties of the matrix and the activityof various cello and enzymes

[发布机构] University of the Witwatersrand