Recent advances in the molecular characteristics,gene structure,functions of type X collagen and its relation to diseases were introduced.Type X collagen consists of three identified α peptides and is assigned to the non-fibril-forming collagen synthesized primarily by hypertrophic chondrocyte in growth plate cartilage.Complete type X collagen molecule includes COL,NC₁ and NC₂ domains in which COL domain,a main peptide,has two cleavage sites sensitive to collagenase. Short as is its chain, type X collagen displays a very stable property，and its melting temperature is up to 47℃. The gene of type X collagen，unlike other interstitial collagens，is composed of three exons and two introns，and the entire COL domain is encoded by a large exon-exon₃ which condenses the gene information. Type X collagen plays an important role during endochondral ossification and seems to be related to matrix degradation，mineralization and/or vascular invasion. Distribution and quantity abnormalities of type X collagen were observed in some osteoarticular disorders，such as osteoarthritis and rachitis. The mutations of type X collagen gene coding for NC₁ domain make the mutant polypeptides difficultly associate with each other，impair supramolecular assembles and lead to its disfunction in growth cartilage， which appears to elicit given inheritable chondrodysplasias.