Col11a1 - collagen, type XI, alpha 1

This gene encodes the alpha-1 subunit of type XI collagen, one of the low abundance fibrillar collagens that is essential for normal embryonic skeletal development and the cohesive properties of cartilage. The encoded protein, in association with the alpha-1 subunit of type II collagen, forms a heterotrimeric type XI procollagen that undergoes proteolytic processing. Mice lacking the encoded protein develop severe chondrodysplasia and die at birth. [provided by RefSeq, Dec 2015]