COL5A1 (E6U9W) Rabbit mAb #86903

The Extracellular Matrix (ECM) is a complex network of macromolecules that provides structural tissue support to cells in the basement membrane and interstitial matrix. It is composed of many molecules including proteins, glycoproteins, proteoglycans, and polysaccharides (1,2). One of the major proteins that comprises the ECM, and the human body, is collagen. Collagens are a large family of proteins. They are trimeric molecules comprised of three alpha polypeptide chains that form a triple helix structure that is characteristic of all collagens (3). The large family of collagens is divided into three subgroups: the fibrillar collagens, the non-fibril forming collagens, and the fibril-associated collagens. These sub groups differ in their structure and supramolecular assembly (3). COL5A1 is a minor fibrillar collagen expressed broadly across tissues. It participates in bone and cartilage development, and defects in the COL5A1 gene leads to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a condition that affects the integrity of bones, cartilage, and skin (4,5). Several proteomics, gene profiling, and biochemical studies have indicated that aberrant COL5A1 may play a malignant role in various types of cancer including breast, renal, colon, prostate, lung, and others (6-10).