Abstract
Several molecular parameters of collagen from a polychaete worm, Nereis japonica, were measured in 0.1M acetic acid, The molecular weight was determined to be (165±10)×104 by a sedimentation equilibrium method and (166±10)×104 by a light scattering method; the mean square radius of gyration was calculated to be 152×107 Ä2, ising the light scattering results. At a low shear rate, this collagen gave a large intrinsic viscosity of 126dl/g, as expected. Comparison of the present data with the well-known molecular structures of tropocollagen suggests the semiflexibility of the molecule in the soluble state. The cuticle collagen was found to be digested to same extent along with α-chymotrypsin.
