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Aggrecan: Approaches to Study Biophysical and Biomechanical Properties

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Glycosaminoglycans

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2303))

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Abstract

Aggrecan, the most abundant extracellular proteoglycan in cartilage (~35% by dry weight), plays a key role in the biophysical and biomechanical properties of cartilage. Here, we review several approaches based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) to probe the physical, mechanical, and structural properties of aggrecan at the molecular level. These approaches probe the response of aggrecan over a wide time (frequency) scale, ranging from equilibrium to impact dynamic loading. Experimental and theoretical methods are described for the investigation of electrostatic and fluid-solid interactions that are key mechanisms underlying the biomechanical and physicochemical functions of aggrecan. Using AFM-based imaging and nanoindentation, ultrastructural features of aggrecan are related to its mechanical properties, based on aggrecans harvested from human vs bovine, immature vs mature, and healthy vs osteoarthritic cartilage.

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Acknowledgments

Supported by Whitaker Foundation Fellowship, National Science Foundation (grant CMMI-0758651), and National Institutes of Health (grant AR060331).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Hadi Tavakoli Nia

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Christine Ortiz

  3. Department of Biological Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, UK

    Alan Grodzinsky

Authors
  1. Hadi Tavakoli Nia
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  2. Christine Ortiz
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  3. Alan Grodzinsky
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alan Grodzinsky .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Biology, Bioengineering, and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Kuberan Balagurunathan

  2. Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Hiroshi Nakato

  3. Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Institute for Structural Biology, Drug Discovery and Development, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Umesh Desai

  4. Department of Neurobiology & Department of Nutrition & Integrative Physiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Yukio Saijoh

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Nia, H.T., Ortiz, C., Grodzinsky, A. (2022). Aggrecan: Approaches to Study Biophysical and Biomechanical Properties. In: Balagurunathan, K., Nakato, H., Desai, U., Saijoh, Y. (eds) Glycosaminoglycans. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2303. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1398-6_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1398-6_17

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-1397-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-1398-6

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