Background: The collagens contain GxOGEx″ integrin-binding motifs, whose identity and specificity are poorly defined.Results: GLOGEN in collagen III is a high affinity ligand, and GVOGEA in collagen II is a specific ligand for α1β1.Conclusion: Collagen Toolkits enable such sites to be identified and compared.Significance: GLOGEN- and GVOGEA-containing peptides can be used to characterize the properties of α1β1.

In eukaryotes, numerous fundamental processes are controlled by the WAVE regulatory complex (WRC) that regulates cellular actin polymerization, crucial for cell motility, cell–cell adhesion and epithelial differentiation. Actin assembly is triggered by interaction of the small GTPase Rac1 with CYFIP1, a key component of the WRC. Previously known as FAM49B, CYRI-B is a protein that is highly conserved across the Eukaryota and has recently been revealed to be a key regulator of Rac1 activity. Mutation of CYRI-B or alteration of its expression therefore leads to altered actin nucleation dynamics, with impacts on lamellipodia formation, cell migration and infection by intracellular pathogens. In addition, knockdown of CYRI-B expression in cancer cell lines results in accelerated cell proliferation and invasiveness. Here, the structure of Rhincodon typus (whale shark) CYRI-B is presented, which is the first to be reported of any CYRI family member. Solved by X-ray crystallography, the structure reveals that CYRI-B comprises three distinct α-helical subdomains and is highly structurally related to a conserved domain present in CYFIP proteins. The work presented here establishes a template towards a better understanding of CYRI-B biological function.

Graphical abstractHighlights► Collagen peptides with terminal cysteine oxidize with time to form polymers. ► Monomeric, helical, and cross-linked peptides have differing biological properties. ► Cysteine is required for adhesion of short peptides onto surfaces.

Single molecule force spectroscopy is a technique that can be used to probe the interaction force between individual biomolecular species. We focus our attention on the tip and sample coupling chemistry, which is crucial to these experiments. We utilised a novel approach of mixed self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols in conjunction with a heterobifunctional crosslinker. The effectiveness of the protocol is demonstrated by probing the biotin-avidin interaction. We measured unbinding forces comparable to previously reported values measured at similar loading rates. Specificity tests also demonstrated a significant decrease in recognition after blocking with free avidin.

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