Chen Yong, Wu Yangzhe, Cai Jiye
Department of Chemistry, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, China.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2007 Sep 21;361(2):391-7. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2007.07.014. Epub 2007 Jul 16.
To date, a large number of literature have focused on the mechanisms of fibronectin (FN) fibril initiation and elongation, discovering many binding sites on FN molecules that are required for FN fibril growth. However, it is still poorly understood how FN fibrils widen while elongating. Here, single molecules and polymers, FN fibrillogenesis, and FN fibril bundles around cells have all been investigated visually using atomic force microscopy. We found that the formation of ring-shaped and beaded-filament-like FN aggregates may be two early intermediate stages of FN fibrillogenesis within the fibrils away from cells, perhaps involving in the FN fibril widening/bundling.
迄今为止，大量文献聚焦于纤连蛋白（FN）原纤维起始和延伸的机制，发现了FN分子上许多对于FN原纤维生长所必需的结合位点。然而，对于FN原纤维在延伸时如何变宽仍知之甚少。在这里，利用原子力显微镜对单分子和聚合物、FN纤维形成过程以及细胞周围的FN原纤维束进行了可视化研究。我们发现，环形和串珠状细丝样FN聚集体的形成可能是远离细胞的原纤维内FN纤维形成的两个早期中间阶段，可能参与了FN原纤维变宽/成束过程。
