Probably the most ample protein in animals, collagen is fibrous, constituted of lengthy strands of protein that intertwine to type a troublesome triple helix. “Collagen is the scaffold that holds us collectively,” says chemistry professor Ron Raines, the examine’s senior writer.
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 kinds a double bond with an oxygen atom, making a molecular construction known as a carbonyl group. This carbonyl oxygen has a pair of electrons that don’t type bonds with every other atoms however may 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.
