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. 1993 Jan;64(1):260–266. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(93)81362-6

Collagen packing and mineralization. An x-ray scattering investigation of turkey leg tendon.

P Fratzl 1, N Fratzl-Zelman 1, K Klaushofer 1
PMCID: PMC1262322  PMID: 8431546

Abstract

Several recent results are suggesting that the collagen packing in mineralized tissues is much less regular than in the case of other nonmineralizing collagen, e.g., rat tail tendon. To clarify this question we have investigated the molecular arrangement in mineralized and unmineralized turkey leg tendon as a model for the collagen of mineralized tissues. Using a combination of diffuse x-ray scattering and computer simulation, it could be shown quantitatively that, although the collagen fibril structure is periodic in the axial direction, it is similar to a two-dimensional fluid in the lateral plane. This has important consequences for the understanding of the mineralization process, which is also discussed.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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