Capillaries become inflamed as a result of damage to the basement membrane by antibodies to type 4 collagen.

They begin to produce the much stronger type I collagen.

Pal thinks the connection may be a protein called type 1 collagen, a building block of skin and bone tissue, which is lost with age.

Therefore, pure type I collagen has nearly one million times greater structural integrity than fibrin.

When this part of the protein is missing, the structure of type I collagen is compromised.

Tissues that are rich in type I collagen, such as the skin, bones, and tendons, are affected by this change.

This gene provides instructions for making a protein that forms type II collagen.

Rat hepatocytes express three glycoproteins which have affinity for type I collagen.

As a result, cells make a reduced amount of type II collagen.

The higher concentrations of type I collagen in the outer annulus confers greater tensile strength.