Ultrastructure of elastin coacervates.

Electron micrographs of negatively stained coacervates of supernatant from sonicated-elastin showed the presence of filamentous structure with the center to center distance typical of tropoelastin, synthetic polypentapeptide as in peptide T1 of tropoelastin, and alpha-elastin. Electron micrographs of negatively stained coacervates of the polypentapeptide, alpha-elastin and sonicated elastin exhibit banded fibers when coacervates are formed, stained and dried at temperatures greater than 50 degrees C.