| Autor: |
Depenveiller C; UMR URCA/CNRS 7369, Matrice Extracellulaire et Dynamique Cellulaire (MEDyC), UFR Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, SFR CAP Santé, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France.; Unité de Génie Enzymatique et Cellulaire UMR 7025 CNRS, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France., Baud S; UMR URCA/CNRS 7369, Matrice Extracellulaire et Dynamique Cellulaire (MEDyC), UFR Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, SFR CAP Santé, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France., Belloy N; UMR URCA/CNRS 7369, Matrice Extracellulaire et Dynamique Cellulaire (MEDyC), UFR Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, SFR CAP Santé, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France., Bochicchio B; Laboratory of Bioinspired Materials, Department of Science, University of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy., Dandurand J; CIRIMAT UMR 5085, Université Paul Sabatier, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France., Dauchez M; UMR URCA/CNRS 7369, Matrice Extracellulaire et Dynamique Cellulaire (MEDyC), UFR Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, SFR CAP Santé, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France., Pepe A; Laboratory of Bioinspired Materials, Department of Science, University of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy., Pomès R; Molecular Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.; Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada., Samouillan V; CIRIMAT UMR 5085, Université Paul Sabatier, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France., Debelle L; UMR URCA/CNRS 7369, Matrice Extracellulaire et Dynamique Cellulaire (MEDyC), UFR Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, SFR CAP Santé, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France. |
| Abstrakt: |
Elastin function is to endow vertebrate tissues with elasticity so that they can adapt to local mechanical constraints. The hydrophobicity and insolubility of the mature elastin polymer have hampered studies of its molecular organisation and structure-elasticity relationships. Nevertheless, a growing number of studies from a broad range of disciplines have provided invaluable insights, and several structural models of elastin have been proposed. However, many questions remain regarding how the primary sequence of elastin (and the soluble precursor tropoelastin) governs the molecular structure, its organisation into a polymeric network, and the mechanical properties of the resulting material. The elasticity of elastin is known to be largely entropic in origin, a property that is understood to arise from both its disordered molecular structure and its hydrophobic character. Despite a high degree of hydrophobicity, elastin does not form compact, water-excluding domains and remains highly disordered. However, elastin contains both stable and labile secondary structure elements. Current models of elastin structure and function are drawn from data collected on tropoelastin and on elastin-like peptides (ELPs) but at the tissue level, elasticity is only achieved after polymerisation of the mature elastin. In tissues, the reticulation of tropoelastin chains in water defines the polymer elastin that bears elasticity. Similarly, ELPs require polymerisation to become elastic. There is considerable interest in elastin especially in the biomaterials and cosmetic fields where ELPs are widely used. This review aims to provide an up-to-date survey of/perspective on current knowledge about the interplay between elastin structure, solvation, and entropic elasticity. |
