Deleting keratins to find one

ered a third murine K6 gene, and simultaneously created a promising model system for studying keratin function in more detail. In an effort to study the function of K6, the authors generated a mouse line lacking both K6a and K6b, and found that plaques develop on the tongues of these mice and cause the majority to die of starvation within two weeks of birth. Surprisingly, and in contrast to a previously Expression from another K6 gene (yellow) explains hair growth in double knockout mice.