Publication: Structural Determinants of Elastin Self-assembly and Mechanical Properties

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Title	Structural Determinants of Elastin Self-assembly and Mechanical Properties
Authors/Editors*	S. Rauscher, S. Baud, M. Miao, F.W. Keeley, and R. PomÃ¨s
Where published*	Structure
How published*	Journal
Year*	2006
Volume	14
Number
Pages	1667-1676
Publisher
Keywords	elsatin,protein,self-assembly,mechanical properties,diabetes
Link
Abstract	Elastin is the protein that confers properties of extensibility and elastic recoil to biological tissues such as lungs, skin, and major arteries. Understanding the molecular origin of these properties is an important step towards the rational design of useful biomimetic materials such as vascular grafts for heart patients and artificial skin to treat burn victims. Our work aims to uncover the balance of fundamental physico-chemical forces governing the structure and function of elastin as well as of amyloids, another important class of protein assemblies implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimerâs and Parkinsonâs diseases, as well as adult-onset (type II) diabetes. Sarah Rauscher used SHARCNET to perform extensive molecular dynamics simulations of elastin-like peptides over a wide range of temperatures.