This gene encodes one of the two alpha chains of type VIII collagen. The gene product is a short chain collagen and a major component of the basement membrane of the corneal endothelium. The type VIII collagen fibril can be either a homo- or a heterotrimer. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding the same isoform have been observed.[6]
Plenz GA, Deng MC, Robenek H, Völker W (2003). "Vascular collagens: spotlight on the role of type VIII collagen in atherogenesis". Atherosclerosis. 166 (1): 1–11. doi:10.1016/S0021-9150(01)00766-3. PMID12482545.
Leung EW, Rife L, Smith RE, Kay EP (2000). "Extracellular matrix components in retrocorneal fibrous membrane in comparison to corneal endothelium and Descemet's membrane". Mol. Vis. 6: 15–23. PMID10731515.
Wistow G, Bernstein SL, Wyatt MK, et al. (2002). "Expressed sequence tag analysis of human RPE/choroid for the NEIBank Project: over 6000 non-redundant transcripts, novel genes and splice variants". Mol. Vis. 8: 205–20. PMID12107410.
Kvansakul M, Bogin O, Hohenester E, Yayon A (2004). "Crystal structure of the collagen alpha1(VIII) NC1 trimer". Matrix Biol. 22 (2): 145–52. doi:10.1016/S0945-053X(02)00119-1. PMID12782141.
Aldave AJ, Rayner SA, Salem AK, et al. (2006). "No pathogenic mutations identified in the COL8A1 and COL8A2 genes in familial Fuchs corneal dystrophy". Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 47 (9): 3787–90. doi:10.1167/iovs.05-1635. PMID16936088.