PATHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Cross-linking of collagen refers to the ability of collagen fibrils to form strong chemical bonds with adjacent fibrils. In the cornea, collagen cross-linking occurs naturally with aging due to an oxidative deamination reaction that takes place within the end chains of the collagen.

Detailed explanation-2: -Knowing how the cross-linking of collagen changes with age is key to understanding why the mechanical properties of tissues change over a lifetime. The current scientific consensus is that collagen cross-linking increases with age and that this increase leads to tendon stiffening.

Detailed explanation-3: -Collagen is composed of 3 chains. The chains are wound together to form a triple helix. Since glycine is the smallest of all the amino acids, it allows the chain to form a tight configuration, and and it can withstand stress.

Detailed explanation-4: -Collagen fibrils constitute the main building block of many structural tissues, such as bone ligament, tendon and skin. The fibrillar structure is stabilized by several posttranslational modifications that allow the formation of intermolecular and interfibrillar cross-links.