A comparative study of the composition of the collagens of the foot of two lamellibranch molluscs occurring in different habitats.

ABSTRACT

A comparative study of the collagen of the foot of Lamellidens Sp. and that of the unmodified part of the foot in Mytilus edulis shows marked differences in physical properties, amino acid composition and in the degree of stabilization. But both conform to type I collagen of vertebrates. In these respects, the latter shows agreement with the features characteristic of byssus collagen, which is highly crosslinked, involving dimers and trimers of tyrosine. It is suggested that such differences may reflect the different functions of the organs concerned, the foot of Lamellidens being a locomotary organ of the animal, while the foot of Mytilus edulis is modified for anchorage of the animal. The vertigial part though not morphologically modified shows the essential compositional characteristics of the byssus being a mere remanant of it.