Abstract
The marked insolubility of pulmonary collagen has limited its accurate biochemical quantitation in small samples of lung and other tissues. We have recently developed a microassay based on radioisotope dilution techniques that we have used for the accurate determination of types I and III collagen in extremely small tissue samples. By applying this method to carefully dissected small airways and vessels and samples of parenchymal tissue of rat lungs, we have localized and quantitated biochemically the type I and III structural collagens of the lung. Large pulmonary arteries are the units richest in these interstitial collagen types on the basis of dried tissue weight (50 µg/100 µg dried tissue). Amounts of both types I and III collagen are considerably lower in the alveolar domain than in vessels and airways of the rat lung. The proportion of tissue composed of these collagen types decreases centripetally in rat pulmonary arteries, but increases in the bronchial tree. The relative proportions of type I and type III remain constant in all the structures tested. The higher total amount of collagen in the nonalveolar domain has implications for biochemical studies based on whole lung samples.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Airhart J, Kelley J, Brayden JE, Low RB, Stirewalt WS (1979) An ultramicro method of amino acid analysis: application to studies of protein metabolism in cultured cells. Anal Biochem 96:45–55
Amenta PS, Gil J, Martinez-Hernandez (1988) Connective tissue of rat lung II: Ultrastructural localization of collagen types III, IV, and VI. J Histochem Cytochem 36:1167–1173
Bateman ED, Turner-Warwick M, Adelmann-Grill BC (1983) Immunohistochemical study of collagen types in human foetal lung and fibrotic lung disease. Thorax 36:645–653
Bray BA, LeRoy EC (1976) Human alveolar basement membrane. Chemical and immunologic comparisons with glomerular basement membrane and trophoblast basement membrane. Microvasc Res 12:77–89
Costa DL, Lehmann JR, Slatkin DN, Popenoe EA, Drew RT (1983) Chronic airway obstruction and bronchiectasis in the rat after intratracheal bleomycin. Lung 161:287–300
Crapo RO, Crapo JD, Morris AH (1982) Lung tissue and capillary blood volumes by rebreathing and morphometric techniques. Respir Physiol 49:175–186
Crouch E, Quinones F, Chang D (1986) Synthesis of type IV procollagen in lung explants. Am Rev Respir Dis 133:618–625
Evans JN, Adler KB (1982) The lung strips: evaluation of a method to study contractility of pulmonary parenchyma. Exp Lung Res 2:187–195
Gil J, Martinez-Hernandez A (1984) The connective tissue of the rat lung: electron immunohistochemical studies. J Histochem Cytochem 32:230–238
Goldstein RH, Lucey EC, Franzblau C, Snider GL (1979) Failure of mechanical properties to parallel changes in lung connective tissue composition in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in hamsters. Am Rev Respir Dis 120:67–73
Hance AJ, Crystal RG (1976) Collagen. In: Crystal RG (ed) The biochemical basis of pulmonary function. Marcel Dekker, New York, pp 213–271
Hospelhorn VD, Douglas WHJ (1977) Isolation of lung alveolar walls. Adv Exp Med Biol 79:567–576
Kelley J (1989) Collagen. In: Massaro D (ed) Lung cell biology. Marcel Dekker, New York, pp 821–866
Kelley J, Chrin L, Evans JN (1984) Microquantitation of insoluble tissue collagen (types I and III) by radiodilution assay. Anal Biochem 139:115–125
Kirk JME, Kirk ME, Heard BE, Kerr I, Turner-Warwick M, Laurent GJ. (1984) Quantitation of types I and III collagen in biopsy lung samples from patients with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis. Collagen Rel Res 4:169–182
Kuttan R, Spall RD, Duhamel RC, Sipes IG, Meezan E, Brendel K (1981) Preparation and composition of alveolar extracellular matrix and incorporated basement membrane. Lung 159:333–345
Laurent GJ, Cockerill P, McAnulty RJ, Hastings JRB (1981) A simplified method of the relative amounts of type I and type III collagen in small tissue samples. Anal Biochem 113:301–312
Madri JA, Furthmayr H (1979) Isolation and tissue localization of type AB2 collagen from normal lung parenchyma. Am J Pathol 94:323–332
Martinez-Hernandez A (1987) Electron immunohistochemistry of the extracellular matrix. Methods Enzymol 145:78–103
Martinez-Hernandez A, Amenta PS (1983) The basement membrane in pathology. Lab Invest 48:656–677
Mead J (1961) Mechanical properties of lungs. Physiol Rev 41:281–330
Raghu G, Striker LJ, Hudson LD, Striker GE (1985) Extracellular matrix in normal and fibrotic human lungs. Am Rev Respir Dis 131:281–289
Reiser KM, Last JA (1980) Quantitation of specific collagen types from lungs of small mammals. Anal Biochem 104:87–98
Reiser KM, Last JA (1981) Pulmonary fibrosis in experimental acute respiratory failure. Am Rev Respir Dis 123:47–52
Sakai LY, Keene DR, Morris NP, Burgeson RE (1986) Type VII collagen is a major structural component of anchoring fibrils. J Cell Biol 103:1577–1586
Setnikar I (1955) Origine e significato delle proprietà meccaniche del polmone. Arch Fisiol 55:349–374
Seyer JM, Hutcheson ET, Kang AH (1976) Collagen polymorphism in idiopathic chronic pulmonary fibrosis. J Clin Invest 57:1498–1507
Sugihara T, Martin CJ, Hildebrandt J (1971) Length-tension properties of alveolar wall in man. J Appl Physiol 30:874–878
Timpl R, Paulsson M, Dziadek M, Fujiwara S (1987) Basement membranes. Methods Enzymol 145:363–391
Vaccaro CA, Brody JS, Snider GL (1985) Alveolar wall basement membranes in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Am Rev Respir Dis 132:905–912
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kelley, J., Chrin, L., Coflesky, J.T. et al. Localization of collagen in the rat lung: biochemical quantitation of types I and III collagen in small airways, vessels, and parenchyma. Lung 167, 313–322 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02714960
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02714960