Type III collagen affects dermal and vascular collagen fibrillogenesis and tissue integrity in a mutant Col3a1 transgenic mouse model

Type III collagen is a major fibrillar collagen consisting of three identical α1(III)-chains that is particularly present in tissues exhibiting elastic properties, such as the skin and the arterial wall. Heterozygous mutations in the COL3A1 gene result in vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS), a severe, life-threatening disorder, characterized by thin, translucent skin and propensity to arterial, intestinal and uterine rupture. Most human vEDS...