Poster abstracts
Poster number 15 submitted by William Yost
Effect of ionic concentration on flexibility of collagen IV molecules
William K. Yost (Biophysics), Sahanna Shanker (Biology), Alexa Hayes (Biology), Gunjan Agarwal (Biophysics)
Abstract:
Collagen type IV is an influential component of the basement membrane underlying the endothelial and epithelial cells. It has a profound effect on the structure and function of the basement membranes through its network lattice. The ionic composition of the body fluids and interstitial fluids traversing through the basement membrane can affect the mechanical properties of the underlying Col IV network. This is especially relevant as previous studies have shown that the flexibility of collagen type 1 molecules is directly correlated to ionic concentration of the underlying solution [1]. The purpose of this study is to understand the change in flexibility (persistence length, LP) of Col IV molecules under different ionic conditions. To fulfil this goal, we obtained atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of Col IV under three different ionic conditions. We utilized the 2D-wormlike chain model (2D-WLC) to track the contour of individual molecules in AFM images and determine LP. The thickness (height) of individual molecules was also ascertained from AFM topographical images. Our results elucidate how both the height and LP of Col IV molecules increased with ionic concentration. This research provides a novel insight on the influence of environmental conditions on Col IV and can be used examine the properties of different Col IV heterotrimers in health and disease.
References:
Lovelady, H. H., Shashidhara, S., & Matthews, W. G. (2014, January 23). Solvent specific persistence length of molecular type I collagen. Biopolymers, 101(4), 329–335. https://doi.org/10.1002/bip.22365
Keywords: Collagen IV, Flexibility, Ionic Strength