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Medical ProgressFree PreviewArchive

Elastin Structure, Biosynthesis, and Relation to Disease States

List of authors.
  • Lawrence B. Sandberg, M.D., Ph.D.,
  • Norman T. Soskel, M.D.,
  • and John G. Leslie, Ph.D.

Elastin, a component of connective tissue, is present in virtually every organ of the body. Its role is unique and undoubtedly important, even though it may make up only a small percentage of a tissue. Its role is being appreciated increasingly in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, emphysema, and other diseases.Definitions and MorphologyElastin is the functional protein component of the elastic fiber, the component of connective tissue that has an amorphous, highly refractive, generally wavy appearance under the light microscope. When elastin is stretched, its waviness disappears and it takes on increased birefringence, which is usually attributed to a . . .

Funding and Disclosures

Supported by a grant (79-UT-517) from the Utah Heart Association, by grants (HL 11963 and HL 22446) from the National Institutes of Health, and by the Veterans Administration.

We are indebted to Drs. E. G. Cleary, G. L. Snider, S. C. Woodward, A. D. Renzetti, Jr., A. Cutillo, H. Kuida, and J. Uitto, as well as many other colleagues, for their assistance during the preparation of the manuscript.

Author Affiliations

From the departments of Pathology, University of Utah College of Medicine and Veterans Administration Medical Center, and the Division of Respiratory, Critical Care and Occupational Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Utah College of Medicine, Salt Lake City. Address reprint requests to Dr. Sandberg at Pathology (113), Veterans Administration Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT 84148.

Dr. Soskel was formerly a Fellow of the American Lung Association and is the current recipient of a Pulmonary Academic Award Grant (1 K07 00617) from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

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