title: Mechanical, structural, and dynamical modifications of cholesterol exposed porcine aortic elastin.
abstract: Elastin is a protein of the extracellular matrix that contributes significantly to the elasticity of connective tissues. In this study, we examine dynamical and structural modifications of aortic elastin exposed to cholesterol by NMR spectroscopic and relaxation methodologies. Macroscopic measurements are also presented and reveal that cholesterol treatment may cause a decrease in the stiffness of tissue.2H NMR relaxation techniques revealed differences between the relative populations of water that correlate with the swelling of the tissue following cholesterol exposure.13C magic-angle-spinning NMR spectroscopy and relaxation methods indicate that cholesterol treated aortic elastin is more mobile than control samples. Molecular dynamics simulations on a short elastin repeat VPGVG in the presence of cholesterol are used to investigate the energetic and entropic contributions to the retractive force, in comparison to the same peptide in water. Peptide stiffness is observed to reduce following cholesterol exposure due to a decrease in the entropic force.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Brooklyn College, The City University of New York, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn NY, United States.
authors.forename: Kubra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bilici
authors.affiliation: Division of Science and Mathematics, University of Minnesota, Morris, 600 E 4th St Moris, MN, United States.
authors.forename: Steven W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Brooklyn College, The City University of New York, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn NY, United States.
authors.forename: Moshe C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Silverstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, 110 Cummington Mall, Boston MA, United States.
authors.forename: Yunjie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, 110 Cummington Mall, Boston MA, United States.
authors.forename: Hyung Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, 110 Cummington Mall, Boston MA, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 110 Cummington Mall, Boston MA, United States.
authors.forename: Yanhang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Brooklyn College, The City University of New York, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn NY, United States; Department of Physics, The Graduate Center of The City University of New York, 365 5th Ave, New York, NY, United States. Electronic address: gboutis@brooklyn.cuny.edu.
authors.forename: Gregory S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Boutis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000737:chemistry; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004548:Elasticity / Q000187:drug effects; D004549:Elastin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D056004:Molecular Dynamics Simulation; D013552:Swine; D013816:Thermodynamics; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D004549:Elastin; D002784:Cholesterol
keywords: (13)C MAS NMR; (2)H NMR; Cholesterol; Elastin