Factors Involved in Formation and Maintenance of Oriented Microstructure of Matrix Constituents

Polarization and electron microscopic investigations revealed orientation patterns of some ECM constituents. The following patterns proved to be constant ultrastructural features of different embryonic and postembryonic connective tissues: (1) sulfated GAGs and collagen fibrils are oriented parallel to each other if they are in interaction with each other, (2) both sulfated GAGs and collagen are tangentially arranged in the vicinity of the cell membrane.