The key difference between collagen 1 2 and 3 is that collagen 1 is the most abundant collagen in mammals and found in skin, tendons, ligaments, and bones, whereas collagen 2 is the most abundant collagen in the cartilage. Meanwhile, collagen 3 is the second most abundant collagen found in our body and is found in large quantities in intestines, muscles, blood vessels, and the uterus.
Collagen is a major structural protein found in the extracellular matrix of a variety of connective tissues in animals and humans. It is the most abundant protein found in mammals. Collagen exists in the form of long thin fibrils which are very hard and insoluble. Collagens are encoded by the gene family COL, and there are 45 different collagen encoding genes in this family. There are approximately sixteen different collagen types. Among them, type 1, 2 and 3 are more the most abundant. These types vary with the assembly of polypeptide chains, length of the helix, interruptions in the helix and differences in the terminations of the helixes, etc.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Collagen 1
3. What is Collagen 2
4. What is Collagen 3
5. Similarities Between Collagen 1 2 and 3
6. Side by Side Comparison – Collagen 1 vs 2 vs 3 in Tabular Form
7. Summary
What is Collagen 1?
Type 1 collagen or collagen 1 is the most common collagen found in the body. It accounts for approx. 90% of the total collagen in the body. It is prevalent in various body parts such as skin, tendon, vascular ligature, organs and bone. It was the first collagen characterized due to its abundance in the extracellular matrix and ease of isolation.
Figure 01: Collagen 1
Collagen 1 has two alpha1 chains and one alpha2 chain with each having a precise 1050 number of amino acids. Collagen 1 fibers support skin, muscles, bones, and hair and nail growth and maintenance.
What is Collagen 2?
Type 2 collagen or collagen 2 is the main component of the extracellular matrix of the cartilage. It accounts for 50% of the cartilage protein. Type 2 collagen exists in the cartilage matrix crosslinked with the proteoglycans. It is found in vertebral disks, inner ear and the vitreous. Collagen 2 is composed of three pro alpha1 chains. The COL2A1 gene is encoded for the expression of type 2 collagen in the body.
Figure 02: Collagen 2
Collagen 2 makes up the fluids and function in the cartilage and joints. Type 2 collagen synthesis is reduced with age, and it is taken as oral supplements for joint and cartilage health. Type 2 collagen powder, extracted from chicken sternum is the best source of collagen 2.
What is Collagen 3?
Type 3 collagen or collagen 3 is the second most abundant collagen in our body. They are found in large quantities in the intestines, muscles, blood vessels, and the uterus. Together with collagen 1, collagen 3 supports the skin, muscles, bone health, and hair and nail growth and maintenance.
Figure 03: Collagen 3
There are 19 amino acids found in collagen 3. Moreover, collagen 3 is important for gut healing and to improve skin elasticity and hydration. Bovine Collagen Peptides is a great source of collagen 3.
What are the Similarities Between Collagen 1 2 and 3?
- Among 16 different types of collagen in the body, collagen 1, 2 and 3 are the most abundant collagens.
- They are found in vertebrates.
- They are proteins.
- They strengthen our bones.
- Moreover, they provide elasticity to our skin.
- All three types are fibrillar.
- There are supplements for all three types in order to keep your skin, bones and joints healthy
What is the Difference Between Collagen 1 2 and 3?
Collagen 1 is the most abundant collagen in our body and it is found in various body parts such as skin, tendon, vascular ligature, organs and bones while collagen 2 is the most abundant protein in cartilages. Collagen 3, on the other hand, is the second most abundant collagen in our body and is found in intestines, muscles, blood vessels, and the uterus. So, this is the key difference between collagen 1 2 and 3. Moreover, functionally, collagen 1 supports skin, muscles, bones, and hair and nail growth and maintenance, while collagen 2 makes up the fluids and function in the cartilage and joints. Collagen 3, on the other hand, supports skin, muscles, bones, and hair and nail growth and maintenance.
Below tabulation of the difference between collagen 1 2 and 3 presents a side-by-side comparison of these three types of collagen.
Summary – Collagen 1 vs 2 vs 3
Collagen is the most plentiful substance in our bodies. There are 16 different collagen types. Among them, collagen 1, 2 and 3 are the most abundant. All three are fibrous type collagen molecules. Collagen 1 is the most abundant and found in all types of connective tissues, including skin, tendon, vascular ligature, organs and bone, etc. Collagen 2 is the major collagen in cartilage. Collagen 3 is the second most abundant and is found Intestines, muscles and blood vessels. All three types are essential in order to keep our skin, bones and joints healthy. Thus, this is the key difference between collagen 1 2 and 3.
Reference:
1. Lodish, Harvey. “Collagen: The Fibrous Proteins of the Matrix.” Molecular Cell Biology. 4th Edition., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Collagen 1 — Smart-Servier” By Laboratoires Servier – Smart Servier website (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Collagen 2 — Smart-Servier” By Laboratoires Servier – Smart Servier website (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
3. “1bkv collagen 03” By Nevit Dilmen – Self created from PDB entry with Cn3D Data Source (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia