Collagen VI microfibrils

Collagen VI forms beaded microfibrils that help hold together muscle, skin and other connective tissues. Mutations in its genes cause inherited muscle disorders such as Bethlem myopathy and Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy. Clair Baldock’s group at the University of Manchester combined cryo-EM with small-angle X-ray scattering, measured on Diamond’s B21 beamline, to show how collagen VI molecules assemble into microfibrils. Mapping patients’ mutations onto the structure showed that they cluster in regions important for assembly. It is a good example of combining techniques to study assemblies too large and flexible for any single method.