Fractal organisation in biological macromolecular lattices.
Macromolecular solutions of proteic, glycoproteic or polysaccharidic nature in the presence of salt gave rise (when slowly dried) to dendritic-like fractal patterns. A fractal dimension D = 1.79 +/- 0.018 was obtained for dendritic patterns of a sonicated ovomucin gel (40% ovomucin-60% ovalbumin) in the presence of 0.1 M NaCl. The calculated D is similar to that described in percolation clusters. The appearance of fractal patterns was dependent upon the protein:salt ratio with an optimum in the range 0.75-1.25. Patterns disappeared at either lower or higher ratios. We conclude that the salt percolates through the macromolecular lattice and precipitates in fractal clusters during the drying process. Dendritic-like fractal patterns with similar D and morphologies were obtained with solutions of fetuin, ovalbumin, albumin or starch suggesting that fractal patterning is a general property of biological polymers. That cellular polymers would also aggregate in a fractal way was implied from the analysis of cellular cytoskeleton and microtrabecular lattices.
Rabouille
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Laboratoire de Technologie Enzymatique, U.R.A. 141 du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (C.N.R.S.), Universite de Compiegne, France.
Cortassa
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D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry*; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure
D006023:Glycoproteins; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D011134:Polysaccharides; D011506:Proteins