Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (vEDS) is a rare autosomal dominant disease caused by mutations in the COL3A1 gene, which renders patients susceptible to
aneurysm and
arterial dissection and
rupture. To determine the role of COL3A1 variants in the biochemical and biophysical properties of human arterial ECM, we developed a method for synthesizing ECM directly from vEDS donor fibroblasts. We found that the
protein content of the ECM generated from vEDS donor fibroblasts differed significantly from ECM from healthy donors, including upregulation of
collagen subtypes and other
proteins related to ECM structural integrity. We further found that ECM generated from a donor with a
glycine substitution mutation was characterized by increased
glycosaminoglycan content and unique viscoelastic mechanical properties, including increased time constant for stress relaxation, resulting in a decrease in migratory speed of human aortic endothelial cells when seeded on the ECM. Collectively, these results demonstrate that vEDS patient-derived fibroblasts harboring COL3A1 mutations synthesize ECM that differs in composition, structure, and mechanical properties from healthy donors. These results further suggest that ECM mechanical properties could serve as a prognostic
indicator for patients with vEDS, and the insights provided by the approach demonstrate the broader utility of cell-derived ECM in disease modeling. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The role of
collagen III ECM mechanics remains unclear, despite reported roles in diseases including
fibrosis and
cancer. Here, we generate fibrous,
collagen-rich ECM from primary donor cells from patients with
vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS), a disease caused by mutations in the gene that encodes
collagen III. We observe that ECM grown from vEDS patients is characterized by unique mechanical signatures, including altered viscoelastic properties. By quantifying the structural, biochemical, and mechanical properties of patient-derived ECM, we identify potential
drug targets for vEDS, while defining a role for
collagen III in ECM mechanics more broadly. Furthermore, the structure/function relationships of
collagen III in ECM assembly and mechanics will inform the design of substrates for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.