Influence of fibronectin on the fibrillogenesis of type I and type III collagen.

The in vitro self-assembly of type I and type III calf skin collagen in the presence of fibronectin was studied turbidimetrically. Fibronectin delayed the fibrillogenesis of type III collagen but accelerated that of type I collagen. The effect of fibronectin was concentration-dependent. The lag phase was more altered than the growth phase in the presence of fibronectin while the final turbidity and the amount of fibrils formed were unmodified. Fibrils obtained in the presence of fibronectin all showed native banding pattern. Fibronectin bound partly to collagen fibrils; the amount of bound fibronectin was similar for the two types of collagen and tended to be constant at increasing fibronectin concentrations. It is suggested that the antithetic effect of fibronectin on type I and type III collagen fibrillogenesis may arise both from the different affinity of fibronectin to the two types of collagen and the different aggregation properties of each collagen type.