Oriented fibrillogenesis of collagen in vitro by ordered convection.

Oriented fibers, arising from the self assembly of collagen, may be produced from in vitro fibrillogenesis of soluble collagen with gradients of fibrillogenic potential. These gradients may be introduced by either concentration gradients of pronase-treated collagen or of arginine which, in turn, create concentration gradients of collagen aggregate intermediates during the fiber formation process. These gradients are gravitationally unstable and generate ordered convective flows which guide fiber growth.