Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Direct observation of a transverse periodicity in collagen fibrils

Nature volume 288, pages 410–413 (1980)Cite this article

Abstract

Collagen fibrils have been extensively studied by electron microscopy, but only scant evidence has yet been obtained about their transverse structure. A transverse periodicity of about 40 or 80 Å might be expected if the microfibril model (until recently the common preference) is correct1–9, but little direct evidence for such a periodicity has been obtained so far. We have studied electron micrographs of longitudinal cryosections of rat tail tendon. These appear very fibrous when studied by eye, but they produce at best only weak diffuse equatorial peaks in optical diffraction patterns. Nevertheless, we show here that like other fibrous protein structures, they do possess a strong transverse periodicity as revealed by their self-convolution functions (or auto-correlation functions)10–12. The observed periodicity is consistent with the presence of an 80 Å structural unit in collagen fibrils in vivo.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Smith, J. W. Nature 219, 157–158 (1968).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Miller, A. & Wray, J. S. Nature 230, 437–439 (1971).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Miller, A. & Parry, D. A. D. J. molec. Biol. 75, 441–447 (1973).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Nemetschek, Th & Hosemann, R. Kolloid-Z.u.Z Polymere 251, 1044–1056 (1973).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Hosemann, R., Dreissig, W. & Nemetschek, Th J. molec. Biol. 83, 275–280 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Fraser, R. D. B., Miller, A. & Parry, D. A. D. J. molec. Biol. 83, 281–283 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Woodhead-Galloway, J., Hukins, D. W. L. & Wray, J. S. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 64, 1237–1244 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Veis, A. & Yuan, L. Biopolymers 14, 895–900 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Fraser, R. D. B. & MacRae, T. P. J. molec. Biol. 127, 129–133 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Elliot, A., Lowy, J. & Squire, J. M. Nature 219, 1224–1226 (1968).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Parry, D. A. D. & Squire, J. M. J. molec. Biol. 75, 33–55 (1973).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Squire, J.M. The Structural Basis of Muscular Contraction (Plenum, New York, in the press).

  13. Fraser, R. D. B., MacRae, T. P. & Suzuki, E. J. molec. Biol. 129, 463–481 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Hulmes, D.J.S., Miller, A., Parry, D. A. D., Piez, K. A. & Woodhead-Galloway, J. J. molec. Biol. 79, 137–148 (1973).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Doyle, B. B. et al. Proc. R. Soc. B187, 37–46 (1974).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Walton, A. G. J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 8, 409–425 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Chapman, J. A. & Hardcastle, R. A. Connective Tissue Res. 2, 151–159 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Hulmes, D. J. S., Miller, A., Parry, D. A. D. & Woodhead-Galloway, J. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 77, 574–580 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. McLachlan, A. D. Biopolymers 16, 1271–1297 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Bear, R. S., Adams, J. B. & Poulton, J. W. J. molec. Biol. 118, 123–126 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Meek, K. M., Chapman, J. A. & Hardcastle, R. A. J. biol. Chem. 254, 10710–10714 (1979).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Miller, A. in Biochemistry of Collagen (eds Ramachandran, G. N. & Reddi, A. H.) 85–136 (Plenum, New York, 1976).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  23. Fraser, R. D. B., MacRae, T. P. & Suzuki, E. in Fibrous Proteins: Scientific, Industrialand Medical Aspects Vol. 1 (eds Parry, D. A. D. & Creamer, L. K.) 179–206 (Academic, London 1979).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Parry, D. A. D. & Craig, A. S. Nature 282, 213–215 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Parry, D. A. D., Craig, A. S. & Barnes, G. R. G. in Fibrous Proteins : Scientific, Industrial and Medical Aspects Vol. 2 (eds Parry, D. A. D. & Creamer, L. K.) 77–88 (Academic, London, 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  26. Hulmes, D. J. S. & Miller, A. Nature 282, 878–880 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Miller, A. New Scient. 85, 470–473 (1980).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Woodhead-Galloway, J. Acta crystallogr. B 33, 1212–1218 (1977).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. McFarlane, E. F. Search 2, 171–172 (1971).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Knight, D. P. & Hunt, S. Nature 249, 379–380 (1974).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Sjostrom, M. & Squire, J. M. J. Microscopy 111, 239–278 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Freundlich, A. & Squire, J. M. in Fibrous Proteins: Scientific, Industrial and Medical Aspects Vol. 2 (eds Parry, D. A. D. & Creamer, L. K.) 11–21 (Academic, London, 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  33. Cox, R. W., Grant, R. A. & Horne, R. W. J. R. microsc. Soc. 87, 123–142 (1967).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Grant, R. A., Cox, R. W. & Horne, R. W. J. R. microsc. Soc. 87, 143–155 (1967).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Rougvie, M. A. & Bear, R. S. J. Amer. Leather Chem. Ass. 48, 735–751 (1953).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Bailey, A. J., Light, N. D. & Atkins, E. D. T. Nature 288, 408–410 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Trus, B. L. & Piez, K. A. Nature 286, 300–301 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Hodge, A. J. & Petruska, J. A. in Aspects of Protein Structure (ed. Ramachandran, G. N.) 289–300 (Academic, New York, 1963).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biopolymer Group, Department of Metallurgy and Materials Science, Imperial College, London, SW7 2BP, UK

    John M. Squire & Alan Freundlich

Authors
  1. John M. Squire
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alan Freundlich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Squire, J., Freundlich, A. Direct observation of a transverse periodicity in collagen fibrils. Nature 288, 410–413 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/288410a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/288410a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing