This gene encodes one of the three alpha chains of type IX collagen, which is a minor (5-20%) collagen component of hyaline cartilage. Type IX collagen is usually found in tissues containing type II collagen, a fibrillar collagen. Studies in knockout mice have shown that synthesis of the alpha 1 chain is essential for assembly of type IX collagen molecules, a heterotrimeric molecule, and that lack of type IX collagen is associated with early onset osteoarthritis. Mutations in this gene are associated with osteoarthritis in humans, with multiple epiphyseal dysplasia, 6, a form of chondrodysplasia, and with Stickler syndrome, a disease characterized by ophthalmic, orofacial, articular, and auditory defects. Two transcript variants that encode different isoforms have been identified for this gene.