Electron Cryomicroscopy of Fibrillar Collagens

Collagen fibrils in tissue are generally heterotypic with more than one type of collagen molecule incorporated into the fibril structure. Furthermore specific macromolecules are bound onto the fibril surface influencing both the assembly and the interaction of the fibril with the surrounding matrix. The electron cryomicroscopy procedures described here form part of a program of work to determine the structure and assembly of tissue fibrils containing surface-associated components.