Protofibrils within fibrin fibres are packed together in a regular array.
The inner structure of fibrin fibres grown from fibrinogen solution activated by human alpha-thrombin was investigated by means of an Energy Dispersive X-ray Diffraction technique. The experiments show evidence for the well-characterized 22.5 nm repeat distance, which indicates the high order of protofibril arrangement in the longitudinal direction of fibres. The diffraction pattern also manifested a further pronounced peak at 18.1 nm (and its second order reflection at 18.1/ radical 2) demonstrating the existence in fibrin of a high degree of lateral order. The reported results directly confirm, on unperturbed wet samples, that protofibrils closely associate giving rise to a crystalline axial and equatorial packing according to the conclusions of the multibundle model.
Caracciolo
Giulio
G
Dept of Biochemical Sciences, University of Rome La Sapienza, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy.
De Spirito
Marco
M
Castellano
Agostina Congiu
AC
Pozzi
Daniela
D
Amiconi
Gino
G
De Pascalis
Angela
A
Caminiti
Ruggero
R
Arcovito
Giuseppe
G
D005337:Fibrin / Q000737:chemistry*; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D013917:Thrombin / Q000737:chemistry; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
D005337:Fibrin; D005340:Fibrinogen; D013917:Thrombin