Molecular Shape of Dystrophin with Special References to Type VI Collagen

We have reported a dumbbell-shaped structure of dystrophin molecule (Murayama et al., 1990; Sato et al., 1992). However its small population has raised a possibility that the dumbbell structure was due to a contaminant protein, such as type VI collagen of aorta origin. In the present study, type VI collagen was purified from bacterial collagenase-treated aorta of the rabbit. Its rotary shadowed images were very similar to those present in the dystrophin preparations. However, the antiserum to type VI collagen raised in a mouse did not react with dystrophin samples. A tentative explanation for the small population of the dumbbell structure is described.