The Maturation of Connective Tissue Proteins

A brief review of the status of current knowledge on the maturation of connective tissue proteins is presented and includes new information relating to collagen and elastin crosslinks. Some consideration is given to pertinent methodology, such as the NaBH4 reduction technique where tritium or deuterium is either in the reagent or the solvent or in both. The most recently developed methodology involving [14C] cyanide incorporation into various maturation compounds is also briefly considered. In addition, a general overview of the field and of some of the remaining problems is given.