Natural mammalian elastin fibers are cross-linked networks of the protein tropoelastin, which functions as the primary component of human blood vessels. Extensive physical and theoretical studies on this protein have shed light on the mechanism behind its unique elasticity. Tropoelastin is comprised of hydrophobic domains of the repeating amino acid sequence-(VPGVG)_n- and domains rich in alanine and lysine residues for intermolecular cross-linking.
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