Type X collagen is a homotrimer of alpha 1(X) chains encoded by the COL10A1 gene. It is a highly specialized extracellular matrix component, and its synthesis is restricted to hypertrophic chondrocytes in the calcifying cartilage of the growth plate and in zones of secondary ossification. Our studies on a family with Schmid metaphyseal chondrodysplasia demonstrated that the affected individuals were heterozygous for a single base substitution in the COL10A1 gene, which changed the codon GGC for glycine 618 to GTC for valine in the highly conserved region of the carboxyl-terminal NC1 domain and altered the amino acid sequence in the putative oligosaccharide attachment site. Since hypertrophic cartilage tissues or cell cultures were not available to assess the effect of the mutation, an in vitro cDNA expression system was used to study normal and mutant type X collagen biosynthesis and assembly. Full-length cDNA constructs of the normal type X collagen sequence and also cDNA containing the specific Gly to Val NC1 mutation found in the patient were produced and expressed by in vitro transcription and translation. While the control construct produced type X collagen, which formed trimeric collagen monomers and assembled into larger multimeric assemblies, the mutant collagen was unable to form these larger aggregates. These experiments demonstrated that the mutation disturbed type X collagen NC1 domain interaction and assembly, a finding consistent with the abnormal disorganized cartilage growth plate seen in the patient. These studies provide the first evidence of the effect of a type X collagen mutation on protein structure and function and directly demonstrate the critical role of interactions between NC1 domains in the formation of type X collagen multimeric structures in vitro.