Abstract

Type XIII collagen belongs to the group of transmembrane collagens. In this thesis the plasma membrane localisation and function of type XIII collagen have been studied using cell biological methods.

Type XIII collagen was found to reside in focal adhesions. It appeared in these structures at a very early stage of their assembly and disappeared from them concurrently with focal adhesion proteins talin and vinculin. Insect cells expressing type XIII collagen showed an enhanced adhesion to certain matrix components. These localisation and adhesion data suggested that the function of type XIII collagen is related to cell adhesion. Supporting this, in tissues type XIII collagen was found to localise to cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesion structures.

Type XIII collagen was found to be partly present in cholesterol-enriched membrane microdomains. With other membrane proteins this localisation has been shown to be linked to ectodomain shedding. The connection between the membrane microdomain localisation and the ectodomain shedding of type XIII collagen was also characterised, and it was demonstrated that manipulation of the cellular cholesterol level affected the efficiency of the ectodomain shedding. Additionally, insights into intracellular shedding of type XIII collagen in the Golgi apparatus were obtained.

The study of type XIII collagen expression in human cancers revealed that it was enhanced especially in the desmoplastic cancer stroma. Since the increased expression of type XIII collagen was detected during the dysplastic stages, type XIII collagen may be involved in the early pathogenesis of cancer. The result indicated that type XIII collagen is involved in the matrix remodelling. In support of this, the cell culture experiments showed that the soluble type XIII collagen ectodomain altered the vitronectin-rich matrix unfavourable for cell adhesion and spreading. This may enhance cancer metastasis.

Type XIII collagen expression was also induced in the remodelled stroma of keratoconus and corneal wounds. Data suggested that myofibroblasts were responsible for the increased expression of type XIII collagen in these situations. Therefore both in cancer and in the corneal pathologies studied, type XIII collagen expression was induced by the activated stromal cells.