Fibrillar collagens propeptides

All of the 12 fibril-forming a chains share a long uninterrupted collagenous domain flanked by N- and C-terminal NC propeptides. The a chains assemble into at least 12 type-specific protomers, characterized as homo- and heterotrimers. The chains of fibrillar collagens associate first through a series of noncovalent interactions between the C-terminal NC domains (NCI), which provide correct alignment and registration for... 

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