Summary
The experimental results and the interpretation of small angle X-ray scattering measurements
by the author and Hammel (1975) and of small angle neutron scattering measurements
by Marguerie and Stuhrmann (1976) on dilute solutions of bovine fibrinogen are compared.
The potential of both methods to discern straight and bent cylindrical structures
is demonstrated. The study arrives at the conclusion that the question whether the
fibrinogen molecule resembles more a banana or a straight sausage cannot be safely
decided by the available data. This justifies the previous suggestion of the author
to imagine the fibrinogen molecule as a swollen sausage 450 Å long and 90 Å thick
with conceivable flexibility, a molecular model of sufficient universality to include
the banana-shaped model of Marguerie and Stuhrmann (1976) as a special case.
