Sequence and Expression of Human Hair Keratin Genes
July 1994
in “
Journal of Dermatological Science
”
TLDR Human hair keratin genes are similar to mouse genes and are specifically expressed in hair follicles.
The study investigated the sequence and expression of human hair keratin genes, focusing on low-sulphur hair keratins, which are part of the intermediate filament (IF) multigene family. Researchers used PCR to amplify genomic fragments of human hair-specific keratin IF genes and isolated cosmid clones containing full-length genes. Sequencing revealed that type I and type II human hair-specific keratin clones showed significant homology to mouse sequences. In situ hybridization demonstrated specific expression in precortical cells of the hair follicle. The findings provided valuable molecular tools for studying hair differentiation.