- See:
- Disorders
- Ligament Healing Characteristics:
- Discussion: 
    - collagen is the primary structural protein of the body & occurs in bone, tendon, and scar tissue as well as in cartilage; 
    - at least nineteen distinct gene products have been identified in humans, for different types of collagen, that differ by amino acid 
           structure of alpha chains; 
    - their composition differs slightly in different species, but its general function is the same in all; 
    - biosynthesis of collagen 
    - type I collagen: bone, tendon, skin, menisci 
    - type II collagen: 
            - fibrils of type II collagen account for > 50 % of dry wt of cartilage; 
            - Examples: Articular cartilage and Nucleus pulposus of intervertebral disc 
            - type II collagen is also found in small amounts in the vitreous gel and in a number of other tissues during early development; 
            - examples of type II collagen disorders:
                   - achondrogenesis
                   - SED
  
    - type III collagen: 
            - type III collagen is found in small amounts in many tissues in association w/ type I collagen & is major component of large 
                      blood vessels; skin 
    - type IV collagen, one of the nonfibrillar collagens, is a major constituent of all basement membranes; 
    - type V and VI collagen
            - articular cartilage (small amounts) 
            - type V Collagen .  .J. Leeming, M.A. Karsdal, in Biochemistry of Collagens, Laminins and Elastin, 2016
            - Features Suggesting a Skeletal Tissue Disorder Versus JIA WG. Cole, O Mäkitie, in Textbook of Pediatric Rheumatology, 2016
            - Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome Peter H. Byers, in Emery and Rimoin's Principles and Practice of Medical Genetics, 2013
            - Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome Salahuddin Kazi, in Encyclopedia of Gastroenterology, 2004
    - type VII and VIII collagen, epithelial basement membranes 
    - type IX collagen: 
            - these molecules surround the surface of the type-II collagen fibrils and covalently cross-linked to them; 
            - these molecules may mediates the interaction of type-II collagen with surroundingr extracellular matrix components; 
            - MED
    - type X collagen production: 
            - short-chain collagen found only in the hypertrophic zone; 
            - mutations here may cause Schmid metaphyseal chondrodysplasia; 
            - associated with matrix mineralization (calcification) 
    - type XI, also articular cartilage, 
    - type XII, tendon 
- Microscopic Characteristics: 
    - in different tissues, size of the collagen fibers varies markedly; 
    - as measured by light microscopy, diameter of tendon fiber may be several hundred microns, whereas in loose connective tissue it 
            may be only 1; 
    - w/ the electron microscope, finer fibers called fibrils vary from 20 nm to less to 50 or 60 nm; 
    - arrangement of these fibrils and their size characterize different tissues 
Development of a reconstituted collagen tendon prosthesis. A preliminary implantation study.
A type X collagen mutation causes Schmid metaphyseal chondrodysplasia.
					