Rabbit skin collagen - MW? (Dec/20/2006 )

Hi! Can anyone help me on this? I bought some collagen from white rabbit skin (Sigma), but I don't know the MW of the individual polypeptides or even the dimer and trimer. I've already asked Sigma, but they don't know either. Can anyone tell me that simple information and/or a reference on that?

Thank you!

type I!

I also had a search, but it seems that no one ever really looked at the molecular weight of rabbit collagen type I, only little fragments of it.
Since collagen is very similar between different species, I think that it is almost the same as in human.
The type I trimer consist of 1 alpha 2 chain and two alpha 1 chains (407 kDa).
The dimer can have both alpha 1- alpha 1 (278 kDa) and alpha 1-alpha 2 (268 kDa) .
In the monomeric state you can thus have the alpha 1 (139kDa) or alpha 2 (129 kDa) (in a 2:1 ratio).
This is the wieght for the human collagen type I, but without taking glycosylation into account.
If you want to be sure, you can best run a sds-page gel.
Probably it is isolated by pepsin-digestion followed by selective salt precipitation, than you have all the forms in it.

I agree, I guess no one ever really determined the MW of rabbit skin collagen type I... At least at Sigma, where they sell it, someone should know that information, right?

Thank you very much for your answer! You were very helpful!