Collagen fibrils: nanoscale ropes
L. Bozec, G.H.M. van der Heijden & M. Horton
The formation of collagen fibrils from staggered repeats of individual
molecules has become 'accepted' wisdom. However for over thirty years now,
such a model has failed to resolve several structural and functional
questions. In a novel approach, it was found, using Atomic Force Microscopy
(AFM), that tendon collagen fibrils are comprised of a spiral disposition of
subcomponents - that is, they are similar to macroscale ropes. Consequently,
this arrangement was modelled and confirmed using elastic rod theory. This
work provides a new insight into collagen fibril structure and will have wide
application - from the design of scaffolds for tissue engineering and a
better understanding of pathogenesis of diseases of bone and tendon, to the
conservation of irreplaceable parchment-based museum exhibits.
keywords: atomic force microscopy, collagen, D-banding, elastic rod modelling
Biophysical Journal 92, 70-75 (2007)