Enables identical protein binding activity. Predicted to act upstream of or within cell adhesion and negative regulation of peptidase activity. Located in basement membrane. Is expressed in glomerular basement membrane of mature renal corpuscle; pigmented retinal epithelium; skin; and surface ectoderm. Used to study recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. Human ortholog(s) of this gene implicated in epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica (multiple) and nonsyndromic congenital nail disorder 8. Orthologous to human COL7A1 (collagen type VII alpha 1 chain). [provided by Alliance of Genome Resources, Apr 2022]