Abstract
Electron microscopic studies of skeletal periderm of 450 million year old graptolites (Hemichordata) reveal a morphologically well-preserved fibrous material which resembles collagen in association with polysaccharide. The cortical fibrils, organized into lamellar plies, show a rough periodicity, a central “core” and helical structure, all of which can be related to extant collagens.
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TOWE, K., URBANEK, A. Collagen-like Structures in Ordovician Graptolite Periderm. Nature 237, 443–445 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/237443a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/237443a0
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