BIOSYNTHESIS OF COLLAGEN AND ITS DISORDERS .1.

(First of Two Parts) COLLAGEN is the major macromolecule of most connective tissues, and it is widely believed that many human diseases, particularly chronic diseases, will be found to involve this protein either directly or indirectly. Since collagen biosynthesis was last reviewed in the Journal in 1972,1 much new information has been gained about the relatively complex pathway by which it is synthesized. We should like to consider this new information and some of its consequences in terms of the following questions: What is the structural information in the collagen molecule, and how does it determine the structure of the. © 1979, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.