Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42082452›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Real-time visualization of collagen assembly uncovers metastable properties in hierarchical organization.

Bohuan Fang, Dan Zeng, Zhiguang Duan, Bei Gao, Tong Zhu, Xiao He, Liming Xu, Xinglan Liu, Qixin He, Luobin Huang and 12 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

22 authors.

Bohuan Fang *Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics & New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Dan Zeng *Engineering Research Center of Western Resource Innovation Medicine Green Manufacturing, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.
Zhiguang Duan *Engineering Research Center of Western Resource Innovation Medicine Green Manufacturing, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.
Bei GaoState Key of Bioreactor Engineering, New World Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1506-6198
Tong ZhuShanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics & New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7472-3736
Xiao HeShanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics & New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4199-8175
Liming XuNational Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, China.
Xinglan LiuSichuan Institute of Drug Control, Chengdu, China.
Qixin HeState Key of Bioreactor Engineering, New World Institute of Biotechnology, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
Luobin HuangShanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics & New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Huangchen ShenShanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics & New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Zhaoting YuanShanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics & New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Siqi LiShanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics & New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Yawen JiangShanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics & New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Yuxi ZhangEngineering Research Center of Western Resource Innovation Medicine Green Manufacturing, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.
Yinghui FengShanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics & New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Chuanxi ZhangNational Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro and Nano Manufacture Technology, School of Integrated Circuits, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Hao WeiNational Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro and Nano Manufacture Technology, School of Integrated Circuits, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5966-7174
John Z H ZhangShanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics & New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Grant J JensenDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1556-4864
Daidi FanEngineering Research Center of Western Resource Innovation Medicine Green Manufacturing, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Xi'an, China. fandaidi@nwu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9798-1674
Lujia ZhangShanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics & New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. ljzhang@chem.ecnu.edu.cn.

Funding

Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology) 2019YFA0905200National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 22108226Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission) 23HC1400500
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Collagen, a central component of the extracellular matrix (ECM), precisely regulates tissue mechanical properties and biological functions through hierarchical assembly, playing a vital role in maintaining homeostasis. However, the molecular mechanism of assembly remains poorly understood, limiting insights into tissue remodeling, aging, and ECM-related diseases. Here, we employ time-resolved cryo-electron microscopy to resolve two critical hierarchical intermediates in fibrillar collagen assembly, proposing the 3D collagen assembly pathway. We identify a metastable triple-helical conformation as the fundamental assembly unit, whose structural lability propagates through the assembly cascade, rendering the process sensitive to microenvironmental perturbations. Through hierarchical assembly, metastable intermediates achieve enhanced structural stability, culminating in the formation of stable collagen that retains its integrity under physiological conditions. In contrast, structural defects in intermediates lead to aberrant assembly and disruption of ECM integrity. Functional assays reveal that intermediates lacking D-band retain biological activity. Our findings redefine the fibrillar collagen assembly as a hierarchical, time-resolved cascade driven by metastable intermediates and propose the fundamental F-Z-F rules. The metastable triple helix provides a structural basis for hierarchical assembly and suggests a potential link between abnormal fibrillar collagen assembly and aging-related matrix dysfunction, offering valuable insights into collagen assembly and its role in aging diseases.

Indexed as

CollagenExtracellular MatrixFibrillar CollagensAnimalsCryoelectron MicroscopyHumansCollagenFibrillar Collagens

Identifiers

PMID42082452
PMCPMC13377044

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.