PURPOSE To determine the temporal and spatial localization of the messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for the two collagen alpha 1(IX) isoforms during early development of the embryonic chicken eye. METHODS The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method was used to amplify mRNAs for the two collagen alpha 1(IX) isoforms. mRNA was extracted from optic vesicles of chicken embryos at stages 14 to...

A major site of pyridinoline cross-linking in bovine type IX collagen was traced to a tryptic peptide derived from one of the molecule's HMW chains. This peptide gave two amino acid sequences (in 2/1 ratio) consistent with it being a three-chained structure. The major sequence matched exactly that of the C-telopeptide of type II collagen from the same tissue. A second HMW chain that contained p...

Mouse primary skin fibroblasts were infected with a recombinant retrovirus containing human factor IX cDNA. Bulk infected cells capable of synthesizing and secreting biologically active human factor IX protein were embedded in collagen, and the implant was grafted under the epidermis. Sera from the transplanted mice contain human factor IX protein for at least 10-12 days. Loss of immunoreactive...

The distribution of collagen XI in fibril fragments from 17-d chick embryo sternal cartilage was determined by immunoelectron microscopy using specific polyclonal antibodies. The protein was distributed throughout the fibril fragments but was antigenically masked due to the tight packing of collagen molecules and could be identified only at sites where the fibril structure was partially disrupt...

Earl ier electron microscope studies have provided circumstant ial evidence for the existence of crystals within the collagen fibrils 1 of bone matr ix. In fully calcified bone matr ix there are no areas which are not replete with crystals; a finding which indicates tha t there should be a deposition of crystals not only a t the per iphery of fibrils but within them as well (12). The posit ion ...

Multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (MED) is an autosomal dominantly inherited chondrodysplasia. It is clinically highly heterogeneous, partially because of its complex genetic background. Mutations in four genes, COL9A2, COL9A3, COMP, and MATR3, all coding for cartilage extracellular matrix components (i.e., the alpha2 and alpha 3 chains of collagen IX, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein, and matri...

Determining the structure of cartilage collagen fibrils will provide insights into how mutations in collagen genes affect cartilage formation during skeletal morphogenesis and understanding the mechanism of fibril growth. The fibrils are indeterminate in size, heteropolymeric, and highly cross-linked, which make them refractory to analysis by conventional high-resolution structure determination...

Bernard-Soulier syndrome (BSS) platelets, which lack the membrane glycoprotein complex Ib-IX, do not adhere to subendothelium. The adhesion of platelets from two patients with BSS to subendothelial microfibrils (MFs) and type I collagen was compared in an in vitro assay adapted to patients with low platelet count. With both patients, platelet adhesion to MFs was strongly defective, whereas the ...