The C-terminal propeptide region is required for the association of three alpha chains into a trimeric non-helical procollagen. Alignment determines the composition of the trimer, brings the individual chains into the correct register and initiates formation of the triple helix at the C-terminus, which then proceeds to the N-terminus in a zipper-like fashion (Engel & Prockop 1991). Most early refolding studies were performed with collagen type III which contains a disulfide linkage at the C-terminus of its triple helix (Bächinger et al. 1978, Bruckner et al. 1978) that acts as a permanent linker even after removal of the non-collagenous domains. Mutations within the C-propeptides further suggest that they are crucial for the correct interaction of the three polypeptide chains and for subsequent correct folding (refs. in Boudko et al. 2011).
Byers, PH, Bornstein, P, Click, EM, Harper, E
Timpl, R, Brückner, P, Engel, J, Bächinger, HP
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