Journal
JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
Volume 137, Issue 1-2, Pages 15-22Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1006/jsbi.2002.4459
Keywords
colonic submucosa; type VIII collagen; heterotypic fibrils; helicoidal molecular packing; molecular modeling; X-ray diffraction
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The molecular packing arrangement within collagen fibrils has a significant effect on the tensile properties of tissues. To date, most studies have focused on homotypic fibrils composed of type I collagen. This study investigates the packing of type VIII collagen molecules in heterotypic fibrils of colonic submucosa using a combination of X-ray diffraction data, molecular model building, and simulated X-ray diffraction fibre diagrams. A model comprising a 70-nm-diameter D- (similar to65 nm) axial periodic structure containing type I and type III collagen chains was constructed from amino acid scattering factors organised in a liquid-like lateral packing arrangement simulated using a classical Lennard-Jones potential. The models that gave the most accurate correspondence with diffraction data revealed that the structure of the fibril involves liquid-like lateral packing combined with a constant helical inclination angle for molecules throughout the fibril. Combinations of type I:type III scattering factors in a ratio of 4:1 gave a reasonable correspondence with the meridional diffraction series. The attenuation of the meridional intensities may be explained by a blurring of the electron density profile of the D period caused by nonspecific or random interactions between collagen types I and III in the heterotypic fibril. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available