Analysis of COL1A1 gene in patients diagnosed with ptergium

Pterygium is defined as the progression of a triangular, usually bilateral, degenerative, abnormal fibrovascular tissue originating from the bulbar conjunctiva on the nasal side onto the cornea, located in the eyelid space. Collagen is the protein that forms the building blocks of the movement system, especially bone, cartilage, fiber and joints. This protein is composed of three alpha chains wrapped around each other. 28 different types have been defined and they are named as type I and type II. Type I collagen is known as the most abundant type of collagen in the ECM. The collagen type I alpha 1 (COL1A1) gene encodes the pro-alpha 1 chains of type I collagen, which consists of two alpha 1 chains and one alpha 2 chain. The COL1A1 gene is located at position 17q21.33 on chromosome 17 and contains 51 exons. Although there are many studies on pterygium, the pathogenesis of the disease has not been fully explained. Characterization of pterygium pathogenesis by cellular proliferation and anti-apoptosis suggests that pterygium is a tumor analog rather than a degenerative disease. There is evidence that members of the collagen family are involved in carcinogenesis in various tissue types. The pathogenicity of COL1A1 gene mutations is said to be associated with many diseases, and abnormal expression of COL1A1 has been reported to play a role in some cancers. Pterygium and normal conjunctival tissues of 27 cases diagnosed with pterygium were included in the study. qRT-PCR analysis was performed for the expression of COL1A1 gene at the RNA level in the pterygium tissue. According to the data obtained as a result of the study, it was found that the expression level of COL1A1 gene increased in pterygium tissue compared to normal conjunctival tissue, but this increase was not statistically significant (p>0,05). Keywords: COL1A1, Pterygium, qRT-PCR