Collagen XXIV, a Vertebrate Fibrillar Collagen with Structural Features of Invertebrate Collagens

Tissue-specific assembly of fibers composed of the major collagen types I and II depends in part on the formation of heterotypic fibrils, using the quantitatively minor collagens V and XI. Here we report the identification of a new fibrillar-like collagen chain that is related to the fibrillar α1(V), α1(XI), and α2(XI) collagen polypeptides and which is coexpressed with type I collagen in the developing bone and eye. The new collagen was...