Mitya Pushkin

The Role of Molecular Chirality and Elasticity in Directing Collagen Self-Assembly

Fibrillar collagens are among the most abundant vertebrate proteins, notable for their ability to aggregate into complex hierarchical structures. Despite a high degree of sequence similarity, they serve diverse structural roles across biological tissues with varying mechanical properties, such as cornea, bone and tendon. While the structural features of collagen aggregates have been studied, the physical principles governing their specific molecular organisation remain poorly understood. In this talk, I will discuss the crucial role of three-dimensional residue organisation and molecular elasticity in determining collagen's superstructures. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for understanding collagen’s structural versatility and offer a foundation for the rational design of synthetic collagen analogues.