The Cryptic Code: Concealed functionalities of the extracellular protein collagen

by Jayashree Das

Studies hint at the presence of a discrete secondary layer of information hidden in the primary sequence of proteins! Collagen is one of the most abundant structural proteins on earth, providing support to a huge array of tissues. However, the accumulated scientific studies of 16 years makes it absolutely clear that hidden inside the primary structure of large proteins such as collagen, lies undetected smaller fragments that when released under stress, display physiological activities that lead to stress reduction. Once identified and assayed, these peptides can be utilized as emulsifiers, foam stabilizers, anti-tumor, antioxidative, water-retentive, wound healing, cardio protective, implant accepting and bone nucleation agents thus providing a huge boost to therapeutics and neutraceuticals. This study gives a complete list of all such cryptic collagen peptides and attempts to provide a holistic picture of the “hidden” non-structural roles played by structural proteins which beckons that apart from genetic and histone code, a subtle and fascinating third “cryptic” code may as well exist.

84 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2016