Structural Study of Collagen Based on Single Crystal Analyses of Model Peptides

Abstract

Collagen is a major fibrous protein responsible for the structural integrity of skin, bones, tendons, and blood vessels. Mechanical properties of collagen are related to the stability of its triple helical structure. Although information from X-ray fiber diffraction of native collagen is very limited, detailed structural data of the triple helix became available by single crystal analyses of model peptides by using synchrotron radiation in this decade. In this study, the helical conformation of collagen molecule and the stabilization mechanism of a triple helix will be discussed extensively at atomic resolution.