Amyloid fibril formation involves nonfibrillar oligomeric intermediates, which are important as possible cytotoxic species in neurodegenerative diseases. However, their transient nature and polydispersity have made it difficult to identify their formation mechanism or structure. We have investigated the dimerization process, the first step in aggregate formation, by multiple molecular dynamics ...

The basic building block of the extra-cellular matrix in native tissue is collagen. As a structural protein, collagen has an inherent biocompatibility making it an ideal material for regenerative medicine. Cellular response, mediated by integrins, is dictated by the structure and chemistry of the collagen fibers. Fiber formation, via fibrillogenesis, can be controlled in vitro by several factor...

Sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) was used to weaken both the electrostatic and the hydrophobic interactions during collagen fibrillogenesis in vitro. The rate and extent of fibril formation as well as fibril morphology were affected by SDS concentration. Both the formation of large fibrils at 0.3 mM-SDS and the complete cessation of fibril formation at 0.5 mM-SDS were considered to be the result o...

Corneal transparency relies on the precise arrangement and orientation of collagen fibrils, made mostly Type I V fibrils proteoglycans (PGs). PGs are essential for correct fibrillogenesis maintaining corneal homeostasis. We investigated spatial temporal distribution glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) after a chemical injury. The composition chondroitin sulfate (CS)/dermatan (DS) heparan (HS) were charac...

Development of mammalian teeth and surrounding tissues includes time-space changes in the extracellular matrix composition and organization. This requires complex control mechanisms to regulate its synthesis and remodeling. Fibril-associated collagens with interrupted triple helices (FACITs) and a group of small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) are involved in the regulation of collagen fibri...

Biosynthesis of fibrillar collagen in the skin is precisely regulated to maintain proper tissue homeostasis; however, the molecular mechanisms involved in this process remain largely unknown. Transcription factor Fli1 has been shown to repress collagen synthesis in cultured dermal fibroblasts. This study investigated the role of Fli1 in regulation of collagen biosynthesis in mice skin in vivo u...

Study by light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy of the distribution, structure and growth of ceratotrichia in the anterodorsal fin of a lemon shark, Negaprion breuirostris, and in the tailfin of a nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum, shows that the ceratotrichia are large collagen fibers which develop in bilateral rows within the dermis. Surrounding ...