The nature of the end products from the enzymic treatment of tropocollagen and collagen fibrils

Treatment of a solution of rat tail tendon collagen in acetate buffer with a proteolytic enzyme (ficin) led to a monodispersed solution of rodlike particles whose dimensions were 12.6 A. in diameter and 2400 A. in length. Similar enzymic treatment of dispersions of steer tendon collagen fibrils resulted in a disaggregation of the fibrils to a solution of particles of essentially similar dimensions. The nature of the enzymic attack in relation to the structure of the substrate is discussed.