Two-Dimensional Electrophoretic Analysis of Human Hair Keratins, Especially Hair Matrix Proteins

The study conducted a two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis of human hair keratins, focusing on hair matrix proteins (HMP) and hair fibrous proteins (HFP). The proteins were converted to S-carbamoylmethylated derivatives to facilitate separation by isoelectric point and molecular weight. The analysis revealed that SCam-HFP consisted of polypeptides with molecular weights of 41.5–59 kD and isoelectric points (IP) of pH 5.1-6.8. SCam-HMP were divided into acidic and basic groups, with the acidic HMP showing variation among hair samples from 15 individuals in four Japanese families. This method was deemed suitable for biochemical analysis of human hair keratins, particularly nonfilamentous HMP.