The origin of the triple-helix structure and high stability of collagen has been debated for many years. As models of the triple helix and building blocks for new biomaterials, collagen mimetic peptide (CMP) assemblies have been deeply studied in the condensed phase. In particular, it was found that hydroxylation of proline, an abundant post-translational modification in collagen, increases its stability. Two main hypotheses emerged to account for this behavior: 1) intra-helix stereoelectronic effects, and 2) the role of water molecules H-bound to hydroxyproline side-chains. However, in condensed-phase investigations, the influence of water cannot be fully removed. Therefore, we employed a combination of tandem ion mobility and mass spectrometries to assess the structure and stability of CMP assemblies in the gas phase. These results show a conservation of the structure and stability properties of triple helix models in the absence of solvent, supporting an important role of stereoelectronic effects. Moreover, evidence that small triple helix assemblies with controlled stoichiometry can be studied in the gas phase is given, which opens new perspectives in the understanding of the first steps of collagen fiber growth.
Keywords: collagen; peptides; stability; structure; triple helix.
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