Collagen is the most abundant fibrous protein in nature and widely exists in tissues such as connective tissue, tendon, skin, bone, and cartilage. On the one hand, collagen provides mechanical support in tissues, and on the other hand, plays an important role in controlling cell adhesion, cell migration, and tissue repair. A systematic understanding of the structure of collagen can promote the understanding of the biological functions of collagen scaffolds, and also provide theoretical guidance for applications of these natural fibrous protein materials. Therefore, this chapter centers on introducing the structure of collagen. As collagen has a typical hierarchical structure, the introduction to its structure will also be divided into different structural levels, from primary structure to quaternary structure. Due to the diversity of collagen types, this chapter will mainly focus on type I collagen.
Keywords: Collagen; Hierarchical structure; α-helix.
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