Complete Structure of an Epithelial Keratin Dimer: Implications for Intermediate Filament Assembly.

ABSTRACT: Keratins are cytoskeletal proteins that hierarchically arrange into filaments, starting with the dimer sub-unit. They are integral to the structural support of cells, in skin, hair and nails. In skin, keratin is thought to play a critical role in conferring the barrier properties and elasticity of skin. In general, the keratin dimer is broadly described by a tri-domain structure: a head, a central rod and a tail. As yet, no atomistic-scale picture of the entire dimer structure exists; this information is pivotal for establishing molecular-level connections between structure and function in intermediate filament proteins. The roles of the head and tail domains in facilitating keratin filament assembly and function remain as open questions. To address these, we report results of molecular dy

SUBMITTER: Bray DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4504709 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature