Proteomic Analysis of Hair Shaft and Nail Plate
August 2011
in “
PubMed
”
TLDR Hair and nail proteins, mainly keratins, are crucial for structure and can indicate health issues.
The study conducted a proteomic analysis of the hair shaft and nail plate, revealing that while most proteins, primarily keratins and keratin-associated proteins, could be extracted under denaturing conditions, 15-20% were intractable due to cross-linking. Shotgun proteomics allowed for the identification of over 300 protein constituents and certain post-translational modifications, showing that proteins from all intracellular compartments contribute to the hair's mechanical stability. This knowledge provided a basis for linking hair shaft structural defects to protein deficiencies and suggested that similar proteomic variations could exist in humans. The nail plate was also analyzed using this approach, indicating potential diagnostic applications for disease states through noninvasive sampling.
