ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the chemical properties of the different collagen types which determine the formation of the higher structures important for the physiological function of connective tissue. It also describes the principles involved in the formation of the collagenous extracellular matrix and its interactions with other connective tissue components and cells. Connective tissue appears in many different forms, its properties always being adapted to its physiological function. The main collagenous constituents of interstitial connective tissue are Types I, II, and III collagen. Collagen is synthesized in the cell as single polypeptide chains in a precursor form carrying at the N terminal and at the C terminal additional procollagen peptides. Collagen is synthesized in the cell as single polypeptide chains in a precursor form carrying at the N terminal and at the C terminal additional procollagen peptides. Several biological functions have been postulated for the collagen precursor.
