011 connective tissue and fibrous proteins Flashcards
what are the 5 types of tissues?
- epithelial tissues
- connective tissues
- muscular tissues
- nervous tissues
- blood
what 3 types of molecules are abundant in ECM in all tissue types?
- proteoglycans
- collagens
- multi adhesive matrix proteins (between cells)
what are the 4 main properties of fibrous proteins?
- extended protein structure
- insoluble in water or lipid bilayers
- secondary structure is simple ( either alpha helix or Beta sheet)
- quaternary structure is held together by covalent bridges
give 3 examples of fibrous proteins
- alpha-keratin
- elastin
- collagen
what is alpha-keratin used for?
- external protection, toughness
where is alpha-keratin found?
- hair, nails, outer layer of skin
what cells produce a-keratin?
- epidermal cells
what is the secondary structure of a-keratin?
- a-helix
what property of a-keratin makes it insoluble?
- hydrophobic sidechains
what amino acid is a-keratin rich in to form disulphide bridges?
- cysteine
what is the quaternary structure of a-keratin?
-2 parallel supercoiled a-helices to form a dimer
- 2 dimers associate and form a tetramer, a staggered arrangement to form the protofibrils
- the association of 4 protofibrils forms a 4 stranded rope = a fibre of keratin
what are the disulphide bridges for?
- increase strength and stability
- the more disulphide bridges, the stronger the a-keratin
what is the main property of elastin?
- can stretch several times but still return to original size
where is elastin found?
- blood vessel walls, elastic ligaments, lung walls, bladder
what cells produce elastin?
- fibroblasts, chondrocytes
give 2 examples of diseases where elastin is implicated
- cardiovascular disease, lung emphysema
describe the formation of elastin
- synthesised as pro-elastin
- converted to tropoelastin
- lysine amino acid crosslinks tropoelastin = elastin
what are the 2 different cross-linking options for elastin?
- desmosine
- lysinorleucine