Microunfolding of the collagen triple helix, its implications in the fibril assembly of collagen and the triple helix as templates for nanoapplications

纽约市立大学亨特学院的徐玉佳教授在化学系大分子、超分子和纳米化学（MSN）项目的支持下，研究胶原蛋白三螺旋自组装的机制，并将胶原纤维用于纳米材料的设计。具体目的是研究控制三螺旋片段自主展开的因素，并确定这些微折叠过程如何影响三螺旋的自组装。从基础和应用的角度来看，了解胶原蛋白自组装的机制是重要的。所获得的知识将启发和告知不同复杂蛋白质结构，仿生材料和支架的设计。学生将接触到化学和生物学界面的研究，研究成果将被整合到亨特学院的课程材料中，为不同的学生群体提供服务。

Professor Yujia Xu of Hunter College-CUNY is supported by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry (MSN) Program in the Division of Chemistry to investigate the mechanisms of self-assembly of the collagen triple helix, and to use collagen fibers in nanomaterial design. The specific aims are to investigate the factors that control the autonomous unfolding of segments of the triple helix and to determine how these microunfolding processes affect the self-assembly of the triple helix. Understanding the mechanisms of self-assembly of collagen is important from fundamental and applied points of view. The knowledge gained will inspire and inform the design of different complex protein structures, biomimetic materials and scaffolds. Students will be exposed to research at the interface of chemistry and biology, and the research results will be integrated into course material at Hunter College which serves a diverse student population.