Collagen Content in Skin and Internal Organs of the Tight Skin Mouse: An Animal Model of Scleroderma

The Tight Skin mouse is a genetically induced animal model of tissue fibrosis caused by a large in-frame mutation in the gene encoding fibrillin-1 (Fbn-1). We examined the influence of gender on the collagen content of tissues in C57BL/6J wild type (+/+) and mutant Tight Skin ( Tsk /+) mice employing hydroxyproline assays. Tissue sections were stained with Masson’s trichrome to identify collagen in situ . Adult Tsk /+ mice skin contains ~15%...