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...

Marginal keratoderma of the palms (MKP), also known as degenerative collagenous plaques of the hands, is an infrequent disease affecting individuals with photoaged skin and submitted to mechanical trauma of the hands. The aim of the study was to study the expression of keratin 14 (K14) in the basal layer and keratins 10 (K10) and 16 (K16) in the suprabasal layer, and to establish the effect of ...

Tissue engineering has recommended the development of biomaterials for implantable porous scaffolds at the injured site, which temporarily acted as the supporting materials for ingrowths of the cells and degraded along with extra cellular matrix production, vascularization and tissue regeneration. Usually, three dimensional scaffolds play the most important role in the design of Tissue Engineer...

Keratins I and II form the largest subgroups of mammalian intermediate filament (IF) proteins and account as obligatory heteropolymers for the keratin filaments of epithelia. All human type I genes except for the K18 gene are clustered on chromosome 17q21, while all type II genes form a cluster on chromosome 12q13, that ends with the type I gene K18. Highly related keratin gene clusters are fou...

The epidermis is a stratified squamous epithelium composed primarily of keratinocytes that become postmitotic and undergo sequential changes in gene expression during terminal differentiation. The expression of the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta (C/EBPbeta) within mouse epidermis and primary keratinocytes has recently been described; however, the function of C/EBPbeta ...

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...

We have developed an automatic and objective method for detecting human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) tissues with Raman microspectroscopy. We measure 196 independent Raman spectra from 196 different points of one oral tissue sample and globally analyze these spectra using a Multivariate Curve Resolution (MCR) analysis. Discrimination of OSCC tissues is automatically and objectively made ...