The heparin affinities of heat-treated type V collagen alpha-chains and the triple-helical molecules were evaluated in terms of the NaCl concentration required for prevention of binding to a heparin-Sepharose column. After heat treatment, alpha 1(V) chain required approximately two-fold higher NaCl concentration to pass through the column than the other two chains, alpha 2(V) and alpha 3(V). Thus, the heparin affinity of alpha 1(V) may be approximately two-fold higher than those of the other alpha (V)-chains. The type V collagen molecules in triple-helical conformation were separated into two fractions at 170 mM NaCl in 20 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.2, containing 2 M urea; bound and non-bound. The ratio of the three alpha-chains, alpha 1(V): alpha 2(V): alpha 3(V) was 2 : 1 : 0 and 1 : 1 : 1 in the bound and flow-through fractions, respectively, on analysis by SDS-PAGE. The differential affinity of the two fractions could be accounted for by the number of alpha 1(V) chains in the triple-helical molecule, if these fractions contained triple-helical subtypes with the chain compositions of [alpha 1(V)]2 alpha 2(V) and alpha 1(V) alpha 2(V) alpha 3(V), respectively. From the comparison of the NaCl concentration required for prevention of the binding, [alpha 1(V)]2, alpha 2(V) had about two-fold higher affinity than alpha 1(V) alpha 2(V) alpha 3(V), and the separated alpha 1(V) chain showed an intermediate affinity. A possible explanation for difference in heparin affinity among the subtypes of molecules and the separated alpha-chains is that the heparin affinity of type V collagen molecule is governed by the number of alpha 1(V) chains contained in the molecule and that steric restraint in a triple-helical conformation weakens the binding of alpha 1(V) chain to heparin.