title: A comparison of bone matrix and tendon with particular reference to glycoprotein content.
abstract: Bone matrix and tendon are compared in terms of their carbohydrate and non-collagenous protein composition. The collagen content of both tissues was similar (90-91%), but bone matrix had at least three times as much sialic acid (0.28%) as tendon (0.08%). Smaller differences were found in the analysis of hexoses and hexosamines. After digestion with bacterial collagenase, about 9% of the total protein from both tissues was non-diffusible on dialysis, and this contained only 0.15% (bone) and 0.7% (tendon) of the original hydroxyproline; recovery of sialic acid was 86-87%. The collagenase-resistant soluble material amounted to about 9% (bone matrix) and 5% (tendon); the insoluble residues were 1 and 4% respectively. There were clear differences in the carbohydrate contents of the digests, but the amino acid compositions were similar. When the soluble digests were chromatographed on DEAE-cellulose, the elution profiles indicated the presence in each tissue of a variety of glycoproteins and a proteoglycan fraction, and showed clearly that an acidic glycoprotein corresponding to bone sialoprotein was not present in tendon.
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000032:analysis*; D002417:Cattle; D002848:Chromatography, DEAE-Cellulose; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis*; D006909:Hydroxyproline / Q000032:analysis; D003012:Microbial Collagenase; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000032:analysis; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D013710:Tendons / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D006023:Glycoproteins; D012794:Sialic Acids; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins; D003094:Collagen; D003012:Microbial Collagenase; D006909:Hydroxyproline