title: Exotic collagen gradients in the byssus of the mussel Mytilus edulis.
abstract: Byssal threads of the common mussel Mytilus edulis contain collagenous molecules from which two pepsin-resistant fragments have been isolated and characterized. These show a complementary distribution along the length of the thread, such that one predominates distally (Col-D) and the other proximally (Col-P). Both fragments contain three identical alpha-like chains with molecular masses of 50 kDa (Col-P) and 60 kDa (Col-D) and have typically collagenous amino acid compositions; for example, 35% glycine and almost 20% proline plus 4-trans-hydroxyproline. Hydroxylysine and 3-hydroxyproline were absent. Col-P sequences are also typical of collagen in consisting of tandem repeats of the triplet Gly-X-Y in which X and Y generally represent any amino acid. When proline occurs, it is hydroxylated to 4-trans-hydroxyproline only in the Y position. Seven instances where X is glycine have been detected in Col-P. Specific polyclonal anti-Col antibodies were used to isolate the precursors of Col-P and Col-D from the mussel foot. PreCol-P has a molecular mass of 95 kDa and contains 36% glycine but a lower imino acid content (13%). It has a complementary distribution with another precursor (preCol-D, 97 kDa) along the length of the foot. The two precursor compositions suggest resilin-like and silk-fibroin-like structures, respectively, in the noncollagenous domains of preCol-P and preCol-D. Immunogold labelling studies indicate that Col-P is associated with the coiled fibers of the inner core in the proximal portion of the thread, whereas Col-D is localized to the straight fiber bundles of the distal thread as well as to the outer core of the proximal thread.
authors.affiliation: College of Marine Studies, University of Delaware, Newark 19716.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Waite
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000648:ultrastructure; D019476:Insect Proteins; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis*; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D047011:Silk
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D019476:Insect Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011506:Proteins; D047011:Silk; C030951:resilin; D003094:Collagen