Collagen alpha1(XI) in normal and malignant breast tissue.

Little is known about collagen XI expression in normal and malignant breast tissue. Tissue microarrays, constructed from 72 patients with breast carcinoma and matched normal tissue, were immunohistochemically stained with five antisera against isoform-specific regions of collagen alpha1(XI) N-terminal domain. Staining intensity was graded on a 0-3 scale in epithelial cytoplasm, stroma, and endothelial staining of the vasculature of each tissue core.

Immunohistochemical localization of collagen type XI alpha1 and alpha2 chains in human colon tissue.

In previous studies, collagen XI mRNA has been detected in colon cancer, but its location in human colon tissue has not been determined. The heterotrimeric collagen XI consists of three alpha chains. While it is known that collagen XI plays a regulatory role in collagen fibril formation, its function in the colon is unknown.