It is well established that the expression profiles of multiple and possibly redundant matrix remodeling proteases (e.g. collagenases) strongly differentiates in disease and development. Although enzymatic redundancy might be inferred from their close similarity in structure, their in-vivo activity can lead to extremely diverse tissue-remodeling outcomes. We observed that proteolysis of collagen, generated uniquely by individual homologous proteases, leads to a specific cascade of combinatorial events, which eventually affects overall extracellular matrix (ECM) topography, visco-elastic properties