title: A role for the androgen receptor in collagen content of the skin.
abstract: Collagen, the major macromolecular component of skin, is responsible for maintaining the structural integrity of the tissue as well as for providing important functional characteristics, such as pliability and thickness. We have been studying the structure and regulation of collagen in mouse mutations affecting the skin. In the course of these studies, we found that there are significant differences in collagen content between the skin of wild-type male and female mice, which become evident at puberty. Furthermore, male mice with an X-linked mutation in the androgen receptor gene (formerly called testicular feminization and abbreviated as Ar(Tfm)) showed decreased levels of collagen, indicating that the androgen receptor pathway contributes to the observed differences. These findings demonstrate that there are striking differences in the collagen content of skin between male and female mice, and provide a biochemical explanation for these differences.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Marina S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Markova
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zeskand
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McEntee
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rothstein
authors.forename: Sergio A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Jimenez
authors.forename: Linda D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Siracusa
mesh_terms: D013734:Androgen-Insensitivity Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D003094:Collagen