Synthesis and degradation of muscle collagen during immobilization, glucocorticoid treatment and in neuromuscular diseases
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Chapter 2. Review of the literature

Table of Contents
2.1. Extracellular matrix in skeletal muscle
2.2. Fibril forming and associated collagen types in skeletal muscle
2.3. Collagens in the basement membrane of skeletal muscle
2.4. Collagen synthesis in skeletal muscle
2.5. Degradation of collagens
2.6. Adaptation of connective tissue in skeletal muscle

2.1. Extracellular matrix in skeletal muscle

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is formed by complex molecular networks, which determine the architecture of a tissue and regulate various biological processes (Aumailley & Gayraud 1998), e.g. differentiation of skeletal muscle cells (Melo et al. 1996). Skeletal muscle ECM is organized in three levels: the epimysium surrounds the entire skeletal muscle, the perimysium surrounds muscle bundles consisting of a variable number of muscle cells, and the endomysium outlines the individual muscle fibers (Borg & Caulfield 1980) (Fig. 1). The most abundant structural components of ECM are collagens. At present, 21 different collagen types have been identified (Aumailley & Gayraud 1998, Koch et al. 2001, Fitzgerald & Bateman 2001).

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Introduction		Fibril forming and associated collagen types in skeletal muscle