The organization of the keratin intermediate filament cytoskeleton is closely linked to epithelial function. To study keratin network plasticity and its regulation at different levels, tools are needed to localize and measure local network dynamics. In this paper, we present image analysis methods designed to determine the speed and direction of keratin filament motion and to identify locations...

MCF-7 human mammary epithelial cells are known to express three distinct cytoskeletal intermediate filament proteins designated numbers 8 (Mr 52,000), 18 (Mr 45,000), and 19 (Mr 40,000) keratin. Using a panel of monoclonal antibodies and peptide mapping, we have determined that MCF-7 cells release proteolytic derivatives of keratins 18 and 19 into the culture medium. These extracellular keratin...

Keratin intermediate filaments (IF) are obligate heteropolymers containing equal amounts of type I and type II keratin. We have previously shown that microinjected biotinylated type I keratin is rapidly incorporated into endogenous bundles of keratin IF (tonofilaments) of PtK2 cells. In this study we show that the earliest steps in the assembly of keratin subunits into tonofilaments involve the...

1 Rugg EL, Leigh IM. The keratins and their disorders. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet 2004; 131C:4–11. 2 Bernier V, Lagace M, Bichet DG et al. Pharmacological chaperones: potential treatment for conformational diseases. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2004; 15:222–8. 3 Morley SM, Dundas SR, James JL et al. Temperature sensitivity of the keratin cytoskeleton and delayed spreading of keratinocyte lines...

Reactive astrocytes contribute to glial scarring by rapid proliferation and up-regulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression and production of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs). CSPGs play a crucial role in formation of the glial scar, which takes over the lesion site following spinal cord injury (SCI). This process corresponds to the inflammatory response of macrophag...

Keratin are among the most abundant proteins in epithelial cells. Functions of the keratin network in cells are shaped by their dynamical organization. Using a collection of experimentally-driven mathematical models, different hypotheses for the turnover and transport of the keratin material in epithelial cells are tested. The interplay between turnover and transport and their effects on the ke...

Seven monoclonal antibodies were prepared against cytoskeletal components of rat intestinal brush borders. In the following paper (Chandler, J. S., Calnek, D., and Quaroni, A., J. Biol. Chem. 266, 11932-11938), three of them were shown to be specific for, respectively, keratin 8 (RK4), keratin 19 (RK7), and a newly identified type I keratin (keratin 21) (RK5). With these antibodies we have inve...

Keratin, as one of the most abundant proteins, has been widely used for bio-related applications due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, keratin was extracted from human hair by sulphitolysis extraction method and then blended with poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) at different proportions. The keratin/PEO mixture was dissolved in distilled water, and finally electrospun into...

Metastasis is one of hallmarks of cancer and a major cause of cancer death. Combatting metastasis is highly challenging. To overcome these difficulties, researchers have focused on physical properties of metastatic cancer cells. Metastatic cancer cells from patients are softer than benign cancer or normal cells. Changes of viscoelasticity of cancer cells are related to the keratin network. Unex...

This study characterizes the morphologic features and the endogenous fluorescence in the stratified squamous epithelia of the 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-treated hamster cheek pouch model of carcinogenesis using multiphoton laser scanning microscopy (MPLSM). MPLSM allows high-resolution, three-dimensional image data to be collected deeper within thick tissue samples with reduced phototoxicit...