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Microfibrillar glycoproteins are a significant component of vascular elastic tissue, but little is known about their contribution to vascular physiology and pathology. We have investigated some physicochemical properties of the glycoproteins that may be pertinent to these roles. Because of the difficulty in isolating intact glycoproteins in a form and quantity suitable for physicochemical examination, we based our analysis on a comparison of the properties of porcine thoracic aorta and pulmonary artery extracted with GuHCl and collagenase (preparation GC) and after further treatment with dithioerythritol to remove glycoproteins (preparation GC/DTE). Amino acid analysis showed that GC/DTE had the amino acid composition of pure elastin while GC contained a higher proportion of polar amino acids, particularly in the aortic preparation. GC stained with alcian blue, particularly in the intimal region, but GC/DTE did not. GC had a higher water content and a slower viscoelastic response and the circumferential elastic modulus was approximately 50% lower (whether expressed in terms of sample weight or elastin content). Clearly, therefore, the microfibrils do not stiffen the network and may prevent the alignment of elastin fibers in the circumferential direction. Their effect on hydration may arise either because they impose mechanical constraints on the geometry of the network or because they modify the inter- and intramolecular hydrophobic or electrostatic interactions that influence the tissue organization and hydration. Molecular probe measurements of the intrafibrillar pore structure using radiolabeled and fluorescent probes showed that removal of the microfibrils caused a slight decrease in the extrafibrillar water space and a larger decrease in the intrafibrillar water space. Sucrose, a small probe molecule, was able to penetrate most of the intrafibrillar water space when microfibrils were present but was virtually excluded when they were not. Potentiometric titration and radiotracer assays of ion binding both showed that the microfibrils contribute a considerable negative charge (-9 mumoles/g wet tissue in the aortic preparation and -16 mumoles/g wet weight in the pulmonary artery) and increase calcium binding by approximately 30%.
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