Abbreviations

α1(XV)

type XV collagen α1 chain, and other collagen polypeptide chains accordingly

BM

basement membrane

bp

basepair(s)

C-

carboxy-

cDNA

complementary DNA

COL

collagenous domain

COL15A1

human type XV collagen gene, and other human collagen genes accordingly

Col15a1

mouse type XV collagen gene, and other mouse (or chicken) collagen genes accordingly

DHFR

dihydrofolate reductase

ECM

extracellular matrix

kb

kilobase(s)

kDa

kilodalton

N-

amino-

NC-

noncollagenous domain

PAGE

polyacrylamide gel elctrophoresis

PBS

phosphate-buffered saline

PCR

polymerase chain reaction

RT-PCR

reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction

SDS

sodium dodecyl sulphate

X (in Gly-X-Y)

any amino acid

Y (in Gly-X-Y)

any amino acid