Electron microscopic visualization of proteoglycans and collagen in bovine costal cartilage

Removal of the soluble proteoglycans from slices of bovine costal cartilage by extraction in 4 M guanidinium hydrochloride permitted the visualization of abundant amounts of dispersed and disaggregated collagen in the matrix. Proteoglycans which are resistant to extraction are seen as small granules which are concentrated in the perilacunar regions. Large proteoglycan granules appear to originate in the chondrocyte. As they come to occupy positions in the matrix distant from the chondrocyte, the granules become smaller. A non-granular, “amorphous” component masks the collagen fibers so that they cannot be readily seen in the intact cartilage.