COL2A1

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COL2A1 (pronounced as C-O-L-2-A-1) is a gene that provides instructions for making a protein component of type II collagen. This type of collagen is found mostly in the cartilage that forms the spine, the eye's vitreous humor, and the cartilage that cushions joints.

Etymology

The term "COL2A1" is an abbreviation for "Collagen, type II, alpha 1," which describes the gene's function and its position in a family of similar genes.

Function

The COL2A1 gene provides instructions for making a protein that forms type II collagen. This type of collagen is a fibrous protein that provides structure and strength to connective tissues, such as cartilage, bone, and the clear gel that fills the eyeball (vitreous humor). Type II collagen is essential for the normal development of bones and other connective tissues that form the body's supportive framework (stroma).

Related Terms

  • Collagen: The main structural protein in the extracellular matrix in the various connective tissues in the body.
  • Gene: A distinct sequence of nucleotides forming part of a chromosome, the order of which determines the order of monomers in a polypeptide or nucleic acid molecule which a cell (or virus) may synthesize.
  • Cartilage: A resilient and smooth elastic tissue, a rubber-like padding that covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints, and is a structural component of the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the bronchial tubes, the intervertebral discs, and many other body components.
  • Vitreous Humor: The clear gel that fills the space between the lens and the retina of the eyeball.

See Also

References

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