Changes in the concentration of free and collagen-bound hydroxyproline in muscle tissue of the bluehead wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum) as a function of age

Abstract

• 1. Marked increases occur in the concentration of free hydroxyproline in muscle tissue of the bluehead wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum) at approx 4 month intervals.

• 2. For each 4 month interval, the time between the initial increase in free hydroxyproline concentration and occurrence of maximum concentration decreases with increasing age of the wrasse. Theoretcal implications are discussed.

• 3. The soluble collagen-bound hydroxyproline data demonstrate that a trend exists whereby the concentration of this component decreases as a function of increasing age in the wrasse, whereas the insoluble collagen-bound hydroxyproline data indicate an opposite trend.