Conformational differences in protein disulfide linkages between normal hair and hair from subjects with trichothiodystrophy: A quantitative analysis by Raman microspectroscopy

The study used Raman microspectroscopy to analyze hair shafts from normal individuals and those with trichothiodystrophy (TTD), a condition characterized by brittle hair. It found that TTD hair had a significant decrease in sulfur-containing amino acids and an increase in less stable disulfide conformers, specifically the gauche–gauche–trans (g-g-t) and trans–gauche–trans (t-g-t) forms. These conformational differences were suggested to contribute to the brittleness of TTD hair. The findings were supported by quantum chemical calculations using density functional theory.