Vitrosin: a member of the collagen class.

Vitrosin, a fibrous protein obtained from the vitreous humor of the eye in the form of an indefinitely long fibril about 100 to 150 A in diameter, has been identified as a member of the collagen class of proteins. It is characterized by the collagen wide-angle x-ray diffraction pattern, and axial periodicity of about 640 A determined by electron microscopy and small-angle x-ray diffraction, an amino acid pattern characteristic of collagen as determined by paper chromatography, and a hydroxyproline and glycine content also typical of collagen. The glycine-hydroxyproline ratio is somewhat lower than that for most vertebrate collagens.