BioCAT Beamline Clearly Images Collagen Molecules
The Advanced Photon Source (APS) at the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory is helping researchers gain a better understanding of enzymes that help regulate growth or, when not working properly, contribute to cancer development.
A team of scientists led by Illinois Institute of Technology biologist Joseph Orgel used high energy x-rays from the APS Biophysics Collaborative Access Team (BioCAT) to capture images detailing how collagen molecules bind to collagenases, a class of enzymes linked to rheumatoid arthritis and the metastasis of malignant tumors.
Scientists have known the basic molecular structure of collagen proteins since the 1950s, but they’ve lacked the type of nanotechnology necessary to view entire collagen fibrils. These fibrils contain billions of atoms which entwine to form the principal component of human skin, teeth, ligaments, heart tissue, blood vessels, bones and cartilage.
Using the BioCAT beamline, Orgel and his group conducted diffraction studies enabling them to visualize complete collagen fibrils in the tendon of a rat’s tail. Their detailed analysis is providing cancer researchers valuable information about the functions of collagen proteins in unbroken tissue. The insights gained could accelerate the creation of targeted treatments for cancers caused by malfunctioning enzymes.
The group is enthusiastic about the research results obtained using Argonne’s state-of-the-art technology. As the team’s leader said,
“We couldn’t obtain this data by single-crystal crystallography. This research was made possible only because of the BioCAT beamline provided by the APS.”
Joseph Orgel, PhD
Asst Professor of Biology
Illinois Institute of Technology
If you’d like to learn more, findings from the collagen research have been published in the February 26, 2008, edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Source: What’s New at Argonne National Laboratory
Related Links: Research at IIT; ScienceDaily
Technorati Tags: microscopy; oncology; carcinogenesis; synchrotron research; biochemistry
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