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 p...

Keratin intermediate filaments (KFs) allow the epidermis to resist external force, but their interplay with force-generating actomyosin cytoskeleton is poorly understood. This particularly relevant in situations such as wound healing, where drives keratinocyte migration and morphology changes. Notably, KF composition changes during epidermal remodeling, increased expression of five wound-associ...

A large number of mutations in keratin genes underlie inherited tissue fragility disorders of epithelia. The genotype-phenotype correlations emerging from these studies provide a rich source of information about the function of keratins that would have taken decades to achieve by a purely transgenic approach. Human disease studies are being supplemented by engineered mouse mutant studies, which...

Stable hydrogen-isotope ratios (deltaD) of keratin provide a novel means for tracking geographical movements of birds and other species. Here we describe a rapid, low cost, analytical approach to facilitate online continuous-flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (CF-IRMS) deltaD analyses of keratins (120-160 samples per day) through the use of calibrated keratin working standards and "comparativ...

Introduction Keratins are the most abundant proteins in epithelial cells of vertebrates and represent the major constituents of skin and its appendages such as nail, hair, feather, and wool1. Keratins are fibrous and insoluble structural proteins extensively cross-linked with disulphide, hydrophobic, and hydrogen bonds2-3. Their high degree of cross-linking by disulfide bonds, hydrophobic inter...