A patient with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome exhibits fragile skin due to deficient collagen synthesis. Which consequence follows from an imbalance in the post-translational modification of procollagen within fibroblasts?

💡 Explanation

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome arises from defects in collagen synthesis. Impaired hydroxylation of proline residues disrupts the triple helix formation required for stable collagen assembly because this post-translational modification, catalyzed by prolyl hydroxylase, is essential for hydrogen bond formation. Therefore, decreased hydroxylation leads to unstable collagen, rather than altered glycosylation, keratin cross-linking, or hyaluronic acid degradation.

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