54 



MACROMOLECULAR COMPLEXES 



et al, 1957; Strates and Neurnan, 1958). In our laboratory, we have 

 been primarily concerned with one particular mineralizing system: 

 the deposition of the calcium phosphate crystals of apatite in an 

 organic matrix of collagen such as occurs in bone, cartilage, and 

 tooth. 



TABLE 1 

 Examples of Biologically Mineralized Tissues 



(Glimcher, 1959) 



As a result of a series of experiments carried out at the Massachu- 

 setts Institute of Technology in collaboration with Professor Francis 

 O. Schmitt and Dr. Alan J. Hodge, a general concept of the basic 

 physicochemical mechanism initiating calcification has been postu- 

 lated, based on the observations of the specific interrelations be- 

 tween native and reconstituted collagens and metastable calcium 

 phosphate solutions, and on a companion x-ray diffraction and elec- 

 tron optical study of both developing and adult bone (Glimcher 

 et al, 1957; Glimcher, 1958; Glimcher, 1959; Glimcher et al, 1960a, 

 1960b). While only the collagen-hydroxyapatite system has thus 

 far been given careful experimental study, the basic hypothesis may 

 apply to the problem of biological mineralization in general. Com- 

 prehensive reviews of these concepts and experiments have recently 



