Revealing Accessibility of Cryptic Protein Binding Sites within the Functional Collagen Fibril.

ABSTRACT: Fibrillar collagens are the most abundant proteins in the extracellular matrix. Not only do they provide structural integrity to all of the connective tissues in the human body, but also their interactions with multiple cell receptors and other matrix molecules are essential to cell functions, such as growth, repair, and cell adhesion. Although specific binding sequences of several receptors have been determined along the collagen monomer, processes by which collagen binding partners recognize their binding sites in the collagen fibril, and the critical driving interactions, are poorly understood. The complex molecular assembly of bundled triple helices within the collagen fibril makes essential ligand binding sites cryptic or hidden from the molecular surface. Yet, critical biological pro

SUBMITTER: Hoop CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5745458 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature