The endosome is a master regulator of plasma membrane collagen fibril assembly

Collagen fibrils are the principal supporting elements in vertebrate tissues. They account for 25% of total protein mass, exhibit a broad range of size and organisation depending on tissue and stage of development, and can be under circadian clock control. Here we show that the remarkable dynamic pleomorphism of collagen fibrils is underpinned by a mechanism that distinguishes between collagen secretion and initiation of fibril assembly, at the plasma membrane. Collagen fibrillogenesis occurring at the plasma membrane requires vacuolar protein sorting (VPS) 33b (which is under circadian clock control), collagen-binding integrin-11 subunit, and is reduced when endocytosis is inhibited. Fibroblasts lacking VPS33b secrete soluble collagen without assembling fibrils, whereas constitutive over-expression of VPS33b increases fibril number with loss of fibril rhythmicity. In conclusion, our study has identified the mechanism that switches secretion of collagen (without forming new fibrils) to new collagen fibril assembly, at the plasma membrane.