The structure of human trichohyalin : potential multiple roles as a functional ef-hand-like calcium-binding protein, a cornified cell envelope precursor, and an intermediate filament-associated (cross-linking) protein

The study on human trichohyalin revealed that it is an intermediate filament-associated protein with a significant role in the inner root sheath cells of hair follicles and the granular layer of the epidermis. Researchers determined its full-length sequence using RNA-mediated anchored polymerase chain reaction methods and genomic cloning. Trichohyalin, a 248 kDa protein, was found to have one of the highest contents of charged residues among proteins, suggesting it may serve multiple functions: as a calcium-binding protein similar to EF-hand proteins, a precursor to the cornified cell envelope, and a cross-linking protein associated with intermediate filaments.