Fibrous long spacing type collagen fibrils have a hierarchical internal structure

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Abstract
Nanodissection of single fibrous long spacing (FLS) type collagen fibrils by atomic force microscopy (AFM) reveals hierarchical internal structure: Fibrillar subcomponents with diameters of ∼ 10 to 20 nm were observed to be running parallel to the long axis of the fibril in which they are found. The fibrillar subcomponent displayed protrusions with characteristic ∼ 270 nm periodicity, such that protrusions on neighboring subfibrils were aligned in register. Hence, the banding pattern of mature FLS-type collagen fibrils arises from the in-register alignment of these fibrillar subcomponents. This hierarchical organization observed in FLS-type collagen fibrils is different from that previously reported for native-type collagen fibrils, displaying no supercoiling at the level of organization observed. Proteins 2006.
Funding Information
  • NSERC
  • Materials and Manufacturing Onatario Emerging Materials Knowledge.