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. 1996 Nov 1;319(Pt 3):993–998. doi: 10.1042/bj3190993

Type VIII collagen is a product of vascular smooth-muscle cells in development and disease.

J R MacBeath 1, C M Kielty 1, C A Shuttleworth 1
PMCID: PMC1217886  PMID: 8921010

Abstract

Type VIII collagen is a short-chain collagen with considerable similarity to type X collagen. We have generated chain-specific antibodies to the alpha 1 and alpha 2 chains of type VIII collagen, and used them as probes to examine the synthesis of type VIII collagen by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). In addition, chain-specific oligonucleotides have been used in reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) reactions with RNA extracted from cultured smooth muscle cells in culture and from freshly isolated vascular tissues. Radiolabelling of VSMC in culture and immunoprecipitation with chain-specific antibodies showed that both chains were expressed. Lower levels of type VIII collagen were found in adult VSMC than in neonatal VSMC. RT-PCR showed that both chains were expressed in tissues as well as cells in culture. The results indicate that type VIII collagen is a product of VSMC of normal adult vessels and is expressed at high levels by VSMC in vascular lesions.

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Selected References

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