Collagen Type VIII Alpha 1 (COL8a1)

Collagen alpha-1(VIII) chain is one of the two alpha chains of type VIII collagen. The gene product is a short chain collagen and a major component of the basement membrane of the corneal endothelium. The type VIII collagen fibril can be either a homo- or a heterotrimer. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding the same isoform have been observed.

Type VIII collagen may be unique among the collagens for its tissue distribution and biosynthetic properties. It was first detected and designated EC (endothelial cell) collagen in biosynthetic studies of bovine aortic endothelial cells and rabbit corneal endothelial cells, but not all endothelial cells synthesize type VIII collagen nor is the protein restricted to vascular endothelium.