During the last decade, remarkable progress has been made in the study of different collagen types. At present, 13 collagens have been identified, and several more candidate proteins wait in the wings. For physicians who study and treat connective tissue diseases, this list has become bewildering, especially since the criteria for designating a new collagen type have become somewhat lax.At the very least, a new collagen should possess a typical collagen triple helix, and should be clearly shown to have a structural function in the extracellular matrix. For some of the new collagens, as discussed later for type X collagen, a structural function has still not been demonstrated. The designation "collagen" does not imply the formation of typical crossbanded fibrils with the quarter-staggered arrangement of molecules that are easily recognized by electron microscopy. At present, only 5 of the various collagens (types I, 11, 111, V, and XI) are known to be involved in this type of fibril formation, although other collagens (e.g., type IX) are associated with the surface of fibrils.
From The University of Alabama at Birmingham MedicalSupported by NIH grants AR-30481 and AR-37984. Richard Mayne, DPhil: