Procollagen messenger RNA levels and activity and collagen synthesis during the fetal development of sheep lung, tendon, and skin.

Publication Type	Academic Article
Authors	Tolstoshev P, Haber R, Trapnell B, Crystal R
Journal	J Biol Chem
Volume	256
Issue	18
Pagination	9672-9
Date Published	09/25/1981
ISSN	0021-9258
Keywords	Collagen, Lung, Procollagen, RNA, Messenger, Skin, Tendons
Abstract	The rates of type I collagen synthesis in sheep lung, tendon, and skin were evaluated during the latter half of fetal development and compared with the levels of type I procollagen mRNA, quantified by molecular hybridization with a type I procollagen specific complementary DNA, and with the activity of total procollagen mRNA measured by in vitro cell-free translation. In the lung and tendon, the levels of type I procollagen mRNA and activity of total procollagen mRNA parallel collagen synthesis during development. In the skin, however, type I collagen synthesis declines sharply during fetal development, but both type I procollagen mRNA levels and total procollagen mRNA activity remain at the high levels of early development. These observations suggest that in developing lung and tendon, type I procollagen mRNA levels are likely the major determinants of the levels of type I collagen synthesis. In contrast, the dichotomy between type I procollagen mRNA levels and rates of type I collagen synthesis in the developing sheep skin suggest the skin utilizes mechanisms in addition to mRNA levels to modulate expression of the type I collagen gene.
PubMed ID	7287703