title: Molecular shrinkage of proteoglycans.
abstract: Viscometry and gel chromatography of mixtures of proteoglycans with other linear flexible polymers suggest that proteoglycans shrink as the concentration of the linear polymer is increased. Similar behavior was observed for binary proteoglycan solutions using a differential viscometry procedure. The shrinkage does not involve specific chemical properties of the linear polymer, but rather is a consequence of purely entropic excluded volume interactions with the proteoglycans. Comparison with a hydrodynamic model supports this conclusion. The polydisperse proteoglycan preparation was subfractionated, and the individual fractions were tested for shrinkage. Fractions of lower molecular weight were found to shrink to a greater extent, suggesting that the molecules are more flexible when they contain fewer glycosaminoglycan chains.
mesh_terms: D002807:Chondroitin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates; D003911:Dextrans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011509:Proteoglycans; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D003911:Dextrans; D011509:Proteoglycans; D002807:Chondroitin; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates