The Structure of the Amorphous Matrix of Keratins

    April 2017 in “ Journal of structural biology ”
    M. F. Z. Kadir, Xinwei Wang, Bowen Zhu, Jing Liu, Duane P. Harland, C. Popescu
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    TLDR Human hair keratin fibers have a detailed nano-scale structure that changes with different conditions.
    The study investigated human hair keratin fibers using TEM, solid-state 1H NMR, and TET, revealing that the keratin fiber cortex has a well-defined nano-scale grainy structure, with grains sized 2-4 nm. This structure varied with chemical treatments, temperature, humidity, and physiological factors during fiber production. The findings challenged the view of the matrix as a homogeneous glassy material and suggested that the nano-scale organization of protein chains, likely Keratin Associated Proteins, could be influenced by both chemical and biological processes.
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