Type X collagen

Type X collagen is a network-forming collagen that is mainly expressed in hypertrophic chondrocytes in cartilage of the hypertrophic zone of the growth plate, in the calcified zone of articular cartilage of long bones, where type X collagen seems to facilitate calcification, and in human lumbar intervertebral discs. The most common genetic disorder is Schmid metaphyseal chondrodysplasia. Biomarkers of type X collagen are only now emerging and have been shown to be elevated in rheumatological disorders affecting bone and cartilage and in cancer.