Journal of Glycobiology
Open Access
ISSN: 2168-958X
+44 1478 350008
ISSN: 2168-958X
+44 1478 350008
Julian M Menter
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Glycobiol
Mammalian collagens contain several age-related fluorescent chromophores that are unstable to solar UV wavelengths. The
consequences of the resulting collagen photo-degradation are not well known, since the direct collagen – UV interactions
are poorly described at best. We are studying these interactions by following UV – induced changes in calf skin type I collagen
fluorescence as functions of time, temperature, and hyaluronic acid (HA). We have observed that UVC radiation (mainly 254
nm) causes dimerization of tyrosyl residues to dityrosine and the disappearance of an age-related tyrosine oxidation product
that is formed in the ground state. Dityrosine formation does not require oxygen and is relatively insensitive to changes in
temperature and age of sample. The age-related oxidation product destabilizes the overall collagen supramolecular structure.
Added sodium hyaluronate (2:1 ratio) shows little or no effect on these results. This latter result may indicate that there is little
physical interaction between the collagen telopeptide and HA domains in vitro.
Menter received his PhD degree in Chemistry from the George Washington University in 1969. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Prof. Dr. Theodor
Foerster at the Institut fuer physikalische Chemie der Universtiaet Stuttgart, Germany. Subsequently, he was at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, and the VA
Medical Center (Atlanta) He currently serves as Research Professor of Biochemistry at Morehouse School of Medicine. Menter is recognized internationally for his
work in the areas of collagen photochemistry and melanin photobiology as pertaining to redox reactivity.