Occurrence of Collagen in the Phylum Mollusca

Abstract

CONSIDERABLE interest has recently been shown in the occurrence of a collagen type of protein among the various invertebrate groups. X-ray diffraction^1,2 studies have explored a wide range of examples, and more recently chemical investigations have used various chromatographic techniques to determine the composition of certain preparations^3–5. Most of this work has been performed on tissues from single species bearing little or no relationship to one another. In the present study, the occurrence of collagen has been investigated in representatives of the three major classes of the phylum Mollusca, using the occurrence of hydroxyproline as an indication of the presence of a collagen-type protein. The examples were: class Gastropoda, Helix aspersa (garden snail); class Lamellibranchiata, Mytilus edulis (edible mussel); class Cephalopoda, Loligo vulgaris (common squid).