Functional Analysis of Collagen XVII in Epithelial Cancers and a Mouse Model

This study demonstrated that collagen XVII played a crucial role in various epithelial functions and pathologies. It was expressed by podocytes in the human and murine glomerulus, and mutant mice lacking collagen XVII exhibited small size, blisters, diffuse hair loss, deficient glomerular development, and high mortality. Collagen XVII was also found in normal colon epithelia and was associated with colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), where its expression correlated with decreased survival times. The study suggested that collagen XVII interacted functionally with laminin 332 and integrin β4, contributing to cell adhesion and migration in cancer progression. In SCC, the absence of collagen XVII or integrin β4 disrupted cell adhesion, migration, and invasivity, highlighting its importance in carcinogenesis.