Probably the most considerable protein in animals, collagen is fibrous, constructed from lengthy strands of protein that intertwine to kind a troublesome triple helix. “Collagen is the scaffold that holds us collectively,” says chemistry professor Ron Raines, the examine’s senior creator.
Peptide bonds are fashioned between a carbon atom from one amino acid and a nitrogen atom of the adjoining amino acid. The carbon atom additionally varieties a double bond with an oxygen atom, making a molecular construction referred to as a carbonyl group. This carbonyl oxygen has a pair of electrons that don’t kind bonds with some other atoms however could be shared with the carbonyl group of a neighboring peptide bond.
As a result of this pair of electrons is being inserted into these peptide bonds, water molecules can’t additionally get into the construction to disrupt the bond.
“Collagen is all triple helices, from one finish to the opposite,” Raines says. “There’s no weak hyperlink, and that’s why I believe it has survived.
