title: Age-related changes in the molecular properties of vitreous collagen.
abstract: To understand the molecular events underlying rheological vitreous changes, age-related changes in the molecular properties of bovine and human vitreous collagen were monitored by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The adult bovine vitreous showed an increase in the high molecular-weight components of the collagen compared with the young samples. In addition, the apparent molecular size of the alpha-chain of the adult type II collagen was slightly larger than that of the young samples. The same tendency also was observed in human vitreous. The increase of high-molecular-weight components of the vitreous collagen could be attributed to intermolecular cross-links of the peptide chains.
authors.affiliation: Schepens Eye Research Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Akiba
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chakrabarti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008970:Molecular Weight; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen