Molecular Biophysics of the Extracellular Matrix

1 Structure and Associations of Proteoglycans in Cartilage.- Structure.- Preparation.- Link-Free Aggregates.- Link-Stable Aggregates.- The Secretion and Assembly of Proteoglycan Aggregates.- Diversity of Proteoglycan Structure.- 2 The Dilute Solution Properties of Glycosaminoglycans and Proteoglycans.- The Relevance of the Term “Dilute Solution”.- Hyaluronate.- The Sulfated Glycosaminoglycans.- Proteoglycans.- Conclusions.- 3 X-Ray Diffraction Analyses of Glycosaminoglycans.- The Relevance of Fiber Diffraction Studies.- Accuracy and Precision in Fiber Diffraction Analyses.- Polymorphism of Glycosaminoglycan Helices.- Detailed Structural Studies of Hyaluronate Allomorphs.- Detailed Structural Studies of Chondroitin Sulfate Allomorphs.- Detailed Structural Studies of Dermatan Sulfate Allomorphs.- The Roles of Cations in Conformation and Packing.- Proteoglycans and Heterotypic Interactions.- Conclusions.- 4 Conformation of Individual Residues and Chain Segments of Glycosaminoglycans in Solution by Spectroscopic Methods.- Conformation of Individual Residues.- Conformation of Chain Segments.- 5 Self-Association of Copolymeric Glycosaminoglycans (Proteoglycans).- Dermatan Sulfate.- Heparan Sulfate.- Proteodermatan Sulfate.- 6 Transport of Molecules in Connective Tissue Polysaccharide Solutions.- The State of Polysaccharides in Connective Tissue.- Modes of Transport.- Rotational Diffusion.- Transport of Electrolytes.- Formation and Transport of Matrix Structures.- 7 Glycosaminoglycan Chains in the Biological State.- Introduction—Molecular Species.- Molecular Shapes.- Molecular Assemblies.- References.