Optical anisotropy reveals molecular order in a mouse enthesis

Entheses are specialized biological structures that functionally anchor tendons to bones. The complexity, mechanical characteristics and properties of the entheses, particularly those related to exercise, mechanical load and pathologies, have been extensively analyzed; however, the macromolecular or...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cell and tissue research 2015-10, Vol.362 (1), p.177-185
Main Authors: Vidal, Benedicto de Campos, dos Anjos, Eli Heber M, Mello, Maria Luiza S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adults
Anatomy & physiology
Animals
Anisotropy
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
bone formation
bones
cartilage
cell communication
cellular microenvironment
Collagen
Human Genetics
Inflammation Mediators - immunology
mechanical loads
mechanical properties
Mice
microscopy
Molecular biology
Molecular Medicine
Morphology
Mucopolysaccharides
Optical Phenomena
Proteomics
Regular Article
Rodents
tendons
Tissue Engineering
toluidine blue
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Summary:Entheses are specialized biological structures that functionally anchor tendons to bones. The complexity, mechanical characteristics and properties of the entheses, particularly those related to exercise, mechanical load and pathologies, have been extensively analyzed; however, the macromolecular organization of the enthesis fibers, as assessed by polarization microscopy, has not yet been investigated. Morphological and optical anisotropy characteristics, such as birefringence, linear dichroism (LD) and differential interference contrast (DIC-PLM) properties, are thus analyzed in this study of a healthy adult mouse calcaneal tendon–bone enthesis. The molecular and supramolecular order of collagen and GAGs was determined for the collagen bundles of this enthesis. Based on a birefringence plot pattern as well as on metachromasy and linear dichroism after toluidine blue staining at pH 4.0, a similarity between the calcaneal tendon–bone enthesis and cartilage during ossification may be assumed. This similarity is assumed to favor the adequacy of this enthesis to support a compressive load. Considering that the collagen–proteoglycan complexes and the enthesis fibers themselves have a chiral nature, these structures could be acting via reciprocal signaling with the cellular environment of the enthesis.
ISSN:0302-766X
1432-0878
DOI:10.1007/s00441-015-2173-0