Force Spectroscopy of Collagen Fibers to Investigate Their Mechanical Properties and Structural Organization

Overview

Journal Biophys J

Publisher Cell Press

Specialty Biophysics

Date 2004 Apr 28

PMID 15111431

Citations 32

Authors

Thomas Gutsmann

Georg E Fantner

Johannes H Kindt

Manuela Venturoni

Signe Danielsen

Paul K Hansma

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Tendons are composed of collagen and other molecules in a highly organized hierarchical assembly, leading to extraordinary mechanical properties. To probe the cross-links on the lower level of organization, we used a cantilever to pull substructures out of the assembly. Advanced force probe technology, using small cantilevers (length <20 microm), improved the force resolution into the sub-10 pN range. In the force versus extension curves, we found an exponential increase in force and two different periodic rupture events, one with strong bonds (jumps in force of several hundred pN) with a periodicity of 78 nm and one with weak bonds (jumps in force of <7 pN) with a periodicity of 22 nm. We demonstrate a good correlation between the measured mechanical behavior of collagen fibers and their appearance in the micrographs taken with the atomic force microscope.

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