GENE REFERENCE / HGNC:2194

COL17A1

collagen type XVII alpha 1 chain

protein-coding gene10q25.1Gene information

What does this gene do?

The COL17A1 gene provides instructions for making a protein that is used to assemble type XVII collagen. Collagens are a family of proteins that strengthen and support connective tissues, such as skin, bone, tendons, and ligaments, throughout the body. In particular, type XVII collagen plays an essential role in strengthening and stabilizing the skin.

The protein produced from the COL17A1 gene is known as a pro-α1(XVII) chain. Three identical pro-α1(XVII) chains twist together to form a triple-stranded, ropelike molecule known as a procollagen. Procollagen molecules are released from the cell and processed by enzymes to remove extra protein segments from the ends. Once these molecules are processed, they arrange themselves into long, thin bundles of mature type XVII collagen.

Type XVII collagen is a major component of hemidesmosomes, which are microscopic structures on the inner surface of the top layer of skin (the epidermis). These structures help to anchor the epidermis to underlying layers of skin. Type XVII collagen is critical for the stability of hemidesmosomes, and therefore it plays an important role in holding the layers of skin together.

Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Source publication: 2020-08-18. Source review: 2009-09.

ClinGen reviews

We found no matching ClinGen review in the data used here. This does not rule out a link between the gene and a condition.

ClinVar records

These numbers show what has been submitted to ClinVar. They cannot tell you how likely you are to have a condition.

Submitted alleles: 1,752
Submissions for variants in or overlapping this gene: 2,327
Submissions explicitly reporting this gene: 2,287
Alleles reported pathogenic / likely pathogenic: 187
VariationIDs with uncertain significance: 401
VariationIDs with conflicting classifications: 38

The rows count different things: alleles, submissions or VariationIDs. Their categories can overlap, so do not add them together. Pathogenic/likely pathogenic counts exclude structural variants that merely overlap a gene. A dash in the source means “not reported,” not zero.

NCBI produces the gene-summary file each week using counts recorded at the start of the month. The numbers may differ from those on the live ClinVar website. Read the field definitions ↗

View this gene in ClinVar ↗

YOUR DNA FILE

Can your DNA file tell you about COL17A1?

From a DNA test kit (such as 23andMe, AncestryDNA or MyHeritage). These kits check a fixed list of about 600,000 to 700,000 positions across your whole genome. ClinVar lists 187 alleles in COL17A1 reported as pathogenic or likely pathogenic. A kit checks only some of these positions, and often none of them.

From whole genome sequencing (a VCF file). Sequencing reads most of your genome. Your file lists the places where your DNA differs from the reference genome. Some regions are hard to sequence, including parts of some genes that have near-identical copies elsewhere, and a VCF file does not record which positions were read well.

If a variant is not in your file, that does not mean you don’t have it.

What BioDecode checks

BioDecode compares every variant in your file with ClinVar, on your own computer. For each match, it shows the ClinVar classification, the review status and the condition it was reported for. Your file is not uploaded.

A ClinVar classification applies to one particular variant and the condition it was reported for. It does not tell you about other variants in COL17A1.

BioDecode cannot fill gaps in your test, diagnose a condition or replace clinical testing.

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