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Related Concept Videos

Collagens are the Major Structural Proteins of ECM01:13

Collagens are the Major Structural Proteins of ECM

Three main types of fibers are secreted by fibroblasts: collagen fibers, elastic fibers, and reticular fibers. Collagen fiber is made from fibrous protein subunits linked together to form a long, straight fiber. Collagen fibers, while flexible, have great tensile strength, resist stretching, and give ligaments and tendons their characteristic resilience and strength. These fibers hold connective tissues together, even during the body's movement.
Connective tissue proper includes loose...
Structural Protein Function01:56

Structural Protein Function

Structural proteins are a category of proteins responsible for functions ranging from cell shape and movement to providing support to major structures such as bones, cartilage, hair, and muscles. This group includes proteins such as collagen, actin, myosin, and keratin.
Collagen, the most abundant protein in mammals, is found throughout the body. In connective tissue, such as skin, ligaments, and tendons, it provides tensile strength and elasticity.  In bones and teeth, it mineralizes to form...
Plastic Deformations01:19

Plastic Deformations

Plastic deformation represents a fundamental concept in materials science, which explains the irreversible change in the shape of a material when it experiences stress beyond its elastic capability. This phenomenon is important in structural engineering, especially in designing and analyzing cantilever beams—structures that are securely fixed at one end and bear loads at the opposite end. When these beams are subjected to loads within their elastic range, they will return to their original...
Plastic Deformations01:14

Plastic Deformations

It is essential to understand how structural members behave under plastic deformation when the bending stress exceeds the material's yield strength. This state of deformation permanently alters the shape of the member, in contrast to the linear elastic behavior observed before yielding. The strain at any point in the member is expressed in terms of maximum strain. Notably, the neutral axis, which coincides with the centroid during elastic bending, shifts away from the centroid under plastic...
Dense Connective Tissue01:13

Dense Connective Tissue

Dense connective tissue contains more collagen fibers than loose connective tissue. As a consequence, it displays greater resistance to stretching. There are two major categories of dense connective tissue— regular and irregular.
Dense Regular Connective Tissue
In dense regular connective tissue, fibers are arranged parallel to each other, enhancing its tensile strength and resistance to stretching in the direction of the fiber orientations. Ligaments and tendons are made of dense regular...
Type IV Collagen of Basal Lamina01:05

Type IV Collagen of Basal Lamina

Type IV collagen is a 400 nm long, network-forming collagen that acts as a barrier between the epithelial and endothelial cells. Type IV collagen  forms the backbone of the basement membrane by scaffolding with laminin, entactin, proteoglycans, and fibronectin. Apart from rendering structural support to the basement membrane, it also helps entail signaling potentials necessary for both pathological and physiological functions.
A type IV collagen molecule has six alpha chains which can exist in...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 20, 2026

Microengineering 3D Collagen Hydrogels with Long-Range Fiber Alignment
07:12

Microengineering 3D Collagen Hydrogels with Long-Range Fiber Alignment

Published on: September 7, 2022

Structural hierarchy controls deformation behavior of collagen.

Shashindra M Pradhan1, Kalpana S Katti, Dinesh R Katti

  • 1Department of Civil Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States.

Biomacromolecules
|July 20, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Collagen

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Structural Biology
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Collagen, the most abundant mammalian protein, has a triple helix structure.
  • Its deformation is governed by interactions across multiple helical hierarchies.
  • Previous studies often used shorter models (7-9 nm) for mechanical evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the deformation mechanisms of full-length collagen molecules (~290 nm).
  • To reveal hierarchical levels influencing collagen mechanics.
  • To compare the behavior of full-length collagen with shorter models.

Main Methods:

  • Steered Molecular Dynamics (SMD) simulations.
  • Extension of full-length collagen molecules at varying pulling rates (0.00003/ps to 0.012/ps).

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Controlled Strain of 3D Hydrogels under Live Microscopy Imaging

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Engineering Fibrin-based Tissue Constructs from Myofibroblasts and Application of Constraints and Strain to Induce Cell and Collagen Reorganization
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Engineering Fibrin-based Tissue Constructs from Myofibroblasts and Application of Constraints and Strain to Induce Cell and Collagen Reorganization

Published on: October 28, 2013

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Last Updated: May 20, 2026

Microengineering 3D Collagen Hydrogels with Long-Range Fiber Alignment
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Published on: September 7, 2022

Controlled Strain of 3D Hydrogels under Live Microscopy Imaging
07:41

Controlled Strain of 3D Hydrogels under Live Microscopy Imaging

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Engineering Fibrin-based Tissue Constructs from Myofibroblasts and Application of Constraints and Strain to Induce Cell and Collagen Reorganization
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Engineering Fibrin-based Tissue Constructs from Myofibroblasts and Application of Constraints and Strain to Induce Cell and Collagen Reorganization

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Main Results:

  • A new hierarchical level, 'helicity of the triple chain' (level-3), was identified in full-length collagen.
  • Deformation involves three levels: single chain helicity (level-1), triple helix (level-2), and triple chain helicity (level-3).
  • Full-length collagen showed minimal triple helix unwinding, unlike shorter models.
  • Nonbonded interactions play a more significant role than hydrogen bonds in collagen mechanics, though hydrogen bonds maintain triple helix conformation.

Conclusions:

  • Collagen mechanics are governed by a three-level hierarchical system.
  • Full-length collagen exhibits distinct deformation behavior compared to short models, with less unwinding.
  • Nonbonded interactions are crucial for mechanics, while hydrogen bonds ensure structural integrity.