Collagen in the physiology and pathology of connective tissue

304

Journal of Immunological Methods, 26 (1979) 304--306

© Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press B o o k reviews Collagen in the Physiology and Pathology of Connective Tissue, by S. Gay and E.J. Miller. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, 1978 (110 pp., illus.) DM 39.--. The authors of this monograph, both associated with the Institute of Dental Research of the University of Alabama, U.S.A., present herein an introductory survey of the contemporary knowledge of structure and biological functions of collagen. This important constituent of bone, cartilage and skin makes up a b o u t one-half of the total proteins in an adult organism and plays a central role in the development, aging and diseases of connective tissues. The first chapter contains data showing the amino acid composition and sequence, secondary and tertiary structures, biosynthesis, enzymatic degradation and turnover of collagen molecules. The classification into the structurally distinct interstitial type I, II and III collagens, their physico-chemical properties, anatomic location, isolation and separation procedures are presented along with the preliminary characterization of the type IV (basement membrane) collagens based on authors' own findings. The biosynthesis is outlined beginning with the assembly of peptide chains on polysomes b o u n d to the endoplasmic reticulum membrane and ending with the secretion and extracellular processing of the finished product. The second chapter is devoted to immunochemistry of the collagens. It describes their helical, non-helical and central antigenic determinants, the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, and the use of fluorescein- or ferritin-labelled type-specific antibodies in detecting t y p e I, II and III collagens in various tissues. Further it discusses the involvement of collagen in certain autoimmune diseases, evidenced, for example, by the presence of anti-type I, II and III collagen antibodies in sera and joint fluids of rheumatoid arthritis patients, anti-type I antibodies in sera of emphysema patients, and cellular immune response to t y p e I in patients with interstitial lung fibrosis. An experimental model is also mentioned where the administration of heterologous or homologous t y p e II collagen to certain strains of rats induces classical s y m p t o m s of rheumatoid arthritis in a high proportion of the immunized animals. Chapter 3 deals with collagen in embryonic development; it includes a description of applying immunofluorescence to the detection of fibers derived from certain types of collagen in the developing human bones and joints. The differential distribution of collagens in adult human skin, tendon, cartilage, bone and the cardiovascular walls, similarly determined by immunofluorescent staining, is described in Ch. 4. Ch. 5 gives a general characterization of pathological states affecting the connective tissues ('collagen diseases'). Ch. 6 discusses heritable disorders such as the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, the Marfan syndrome, osteogenesis im-

305 perfecta, and others. Ch. 7 describes the detection by immunofluorescence of different types of collagen in wound granulation tissue and in bone fracture healing. Ch. 8 reviews acquired chronic diseases resulting from a disturbance in the balance between collagen synthesis and degradation leading to its excessive accumulation in the affected tissues. Here belong atherosclerosis, liver cirrhosis, lung fibrosis, systemic progressive sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthrosis. Examples are given of demonstrating by immunofluore: ~ence type I and III collagens in atherosclerotic lesions, in cirrhotic liver sections, in sclerotic skin sections, and in synovial membranes of rheumatoid patients; type I and II in osteoarthrotic articular cartilage sections. The book is written in a clear style, with the subject matter presented accessibly and in a systematic fashion. Its readability is high thanks to the absence of specific reference citations; instead, a number of 'suggested further readings' are provided at the end of most sections. Numerous excellent diagrams and photomicrographs, including 4 in colour, illustrate the text. A good subject index is appended. While it obviously cannot be regarded as a comprehensive treatise on the subject, this book offers the maximum relevant information that could be presented within its compact format. Accordingly, it will undoubtedly be appreciated by biochemists, anatomists, immunologists and pathologists interested in various aspects of the relation between collagen and connective tissue. F. Borek Immunomorphology and Immunopathology of the Lung, by A. Eskenasy (translated from Roumanian by Ioana Sturdza). Academia, Bucharest and Abacus Press, Kent, 1978 (313 pp., illus.) £ 18.65. The author of this monograph, head of the Division of Experimental Pathology and Immunopathology at The Tuberculosis Research Institute in Bucharest, sums up herein the results of investigations carried out during the past decade in laboratories under his supervision. These include both experimental and clinical observations, discussed in the light of data taken from contemporary biomedical literature. The book is divided into 6 chapters. In the first one the author outlines the epidemiological trends in lung diseases during the past 50 years, characterized by a progressive reduction in the incidence of tuberculosis and pneumococcal infections and a concomitant increased frequency of acute bronchitis, non-pneumococcal bacterial and viral pneumonias, chronic bronchitis, broncho-pulmonary carcinomas, vaiious forms of pneumo-coniosis, and pulmonary localizations in collagenoses and dysmetabolic reticuloses. The second chapter contains a brief description of histological techniques used in the study of immunopathological processes in the lung, especially the quanti-