Macrofibrils of wool fibers are prepared by ultrasonication of cortical cells in formic acid and are separated from other particles by differences between their rates of settling in a column of ethanol. The macrofibrils are observed by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to be about 10 μm long and 0.3 μm diameter and are made up of finer, fibrous filaments. The amino acid analysis of macrofibrils is essentially the same as that of cortical cells, which have been subjected to a similar ultrasonication treatment.
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Bradbury, J.H. , Chapman, G.V., and King, N.L.R., The Chemical Composition of Wool. III: Analysis of Cuticle, Skin Flakes and Cell Membrane Material, Intern. Wool Textile Res. ConfParis, Section I, pp. 359-366, 1965.
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Bradbury, J.H. , Leeder, J.D., and Watt, I.C., Chemical Composition of Wool VIII: The Cell Membrane Complex of Wool, Appl. Polymer Symposia, No. 18, 227-236 (1971).
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Bradbury, J.H. , Ley, K.F., and Peters, D.E., Separation of Orthocortical and Paracortical Cells from Wool, Textile Res. J.41, 87-88 (1971).
10.
Bradbury, J.H. and O'Shea, J.M., Keratin Fibres II. Separation and Analysis of Medullary Cells, Austr. J. Biol. Sci.22, 1205-1215 (1969).
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Chapman, G.V. and Bradbury, J.H., The Chemical Composition of Wool. VII. Separation and Analysis of Orthocortex and Paracortex, Arch. Biochem. Biophys.127, 157-163 (1968).
12.
Elöd, E. and Zahn, H., The Preparation and Properties of Cortical Cells of Wool, Mellsand Textilber.24, 245-249 (1941).
13.
Hock, C.W., Ramsay, R.C., and Harris, M., Microscopic Structure of the Wool Fiber, J. Res. Nat. Bur. Stand.27, 181-190 (1941).
14.
Hock, C.W. and McMurdie, H.F., Structure of the Wool Fiber as Revealed by the Electron Microscope, Amer. Dyestuff Reptr.32, 443-436, 451-454 (1943).
15.
King, N.L.R. and Bradbury, J.H., The Chemical Composition of Wool. V. The Epicuticle, Austr. J. Biol. Sci.21, 375-384, (1968).
16.
Kulkarni, V.G. , Robson, R.M., and Robson, A., Studies on the Orthocortex and Paracortex of Merino Wool, Appl. Polymer Symposia, No. 18, 127-146 (1971).
17.
Leach, S.J. , Rogers, G.E., and Filshie, B.K., The Selective Extraction of Wool Keratin with Dilute Acid. I. Chemical and Morphological Changes, Arch. Biochem. Biophys.105, 270-287 (1964).
18.
Ley, K.F., Chemical Studies of Some Histological Components of Wool. Thesis, Australian National University, 1971.
19.
Lundgren, H.P. and Ward, W.H., in "Ultrastructure of Protein Fibers," E Borasky, R., New York, Academic Press, pp. 39-122, 1963.
20.
Mercer, E.H. , The Supercontraction of Keratin, Textile Res. J.22, 476-479 (1952)
21.
Mercer, E.H. and Rees, A.L.G., An Electron Microscope Investigation of the Cuticle of Wool, Aust. J. Exp. Biol. Med. Sci.24, 147-158 (1946).
22.
O'Shea, J.M. and Bradbury, J.H., The Effect of Ultrasonic Irradiation on Proteins, Intern. J. Prot. Res. Submitted for publication.
