ABSTRACT
In order to characterise the function of the novel fibrillar type XXVII collagen, a series of mice expressing mutant forms of the collagen were investigated. Mice harboring a glycine to cysteine substitution in the collagenous domain were phenotypically normal when heterozygote and displayed a mild disruption of growth plate architecture in the homozygous state. Mice expressing an 87 amino acid deletion in the collagenous domain of collagen XXVII were phenotypically normal as heterozygotes whereas homozygotes exhibited a severe chondrodysplasia and died perinatally from a lung defect. Animals expressing the 87 amino acid deletion targeted specifically to cartilage were viable but severely dwarfed. The pericellular matrix of proliferative chondrocytes was disrupted and the proliferative cells exhibited a decreased tendency to flatten and form vertical columns. Collagen XXVII plays an important structural role in the pericellular extracellular matrix of the growth plate and is required for the organisation of the proliferative zone.
Subject(s)
Extracellular Matrix/metabolism , Fibrillar Collagens/metabolism , Growth Plate/cytology , Growth Plate/metabolism , Amino Acid Sequence , Animals , Base Sequence , Female , Fibrillar Collagens/chemistry , Fibrillar Collagens/genetics , Male , Mice , Mutation , PhenotypeABSTRACT
We have generated an antiserum to the variable domain of mouse collagen XXVII, a recently discovered novel member of the fibrillar collagen family. Collagen XXVII protein was first detectable in the mouse at embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5). By E14.5, the protein localized to cartilage, developing dermis, cornea, the inner limiting membrane of the retina, and major arteries of the heart. However, at E18.5, collagen XXVII protein was no longer apparent in most tissues and appeared restricted mainly to cartilage where expression continued into adulthood. Type XXVII collagen immunolocalized to 10-nm-thick nonstriated fibrils that were distinct from fibrils formed by the classical fibrillar collagens. The transient nature of its expression and unusual fibrillar structure suggest that collagen XXVII plays a developmental role distinct from those of the classical fibrillar collagens.
