Description
Collagen, type I,alpha 1, also known as COL1A1, is a human gene that encodes the majorcomponent of type I collagen, the fibrillar collagen found in most connectivetissues, including cartilage. Collagen is a protein that strengthens andsupports many tissues in the body, including cartilage, bone, tendon, skin and thewhite part of the eye (sclera). The COL1A1 gene produces a component of typeI collagen, called the pro-alpha1(I) chain. This chain combines with anotherpro-alpha1(I) chain and also with a pro-alpha2(I) chain (produced by theCOL1A2 gene) to make a molecule of type I procollagen. These triple-stranded,rope-like procollagen molecules must be processed by enzymes outside thecell. Once these molecules are processed, they arrange themselves into long,thin fibrils that cross-link to one another in the spaces around cells. Thecross-links result in the formation of very strong mature type I collagenfibers