THE MOLECULAR STRUCTURE OF COLLAGEN TYPES I AND II

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. The fibrous collagens are the fundamental constituents of the Extracellular Matrix (ECM) of animals, forming the structural basis of all known mammalian connective tissue: bones, skin, cornea, teeth, tendons, ligature, blood and lymphatic vessels and all organ systems including the heart and lungs. Therefore, the aims of this proposal are to: 1) To structurally characterize the fibrillar collagens types II and I by fiber crystallography. 2) To structurally characterize the molecular organization of extracellular matrix molecules commonly found complexed with the collagens via fiber crystallography and bioinformatics / computational methods. 3) To develop fiber crystallography and Micro X-ray Diffraction (¿XD) techniques that enhances the chance of successful completion of aims 1 and 2.