An X-ray diffraction analysis of rat tail tendons treated with Cupromeronic Blue

Cupromeronic Blue was used to stain selectively the proteoglycans in rat tail tendons under 'critical electrolyte' conditions. Earlier electron microscopical observations indicated that at least one type of proteoglycan filament is associated with tendon collagen fibrils at the positive staining band 'd'. To ensure that this was not an artefact caused by specimen preparation or the subsequent positive staining of the collagen fibrils, we have analysed low angle meridional diffraction patterns from stained but not dehydrated, embedded or counterstained tissues. Axial electron density profiles of Cupromeronic Blue-stained compared with unstained rat tail tendons revealed the axial locations and relative amounts of dye in both mature and young wet specimens. In mature tendons, the difference electron density profile contained a broad peak centred near residue 180 along the 234-residue D-period. This corresponds to the electron-optical staining band 'd'. In young tendons a similar distribution of stain was observed although in this case there was evidence of a doublet of peaks, one centred near residue 182 (band 'd') and the other near residue 165 (midway between bands d and e1). The wet proteoglycan--Cupromeronic Blue complexes distribute over about 30 nm along the collagen fibril axis. Comparison with the images of filaments seen in the electron microscope suggests that the dye complexes collapse significantly on dehydration and embedding.