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Microscopy of keratin filaments inside cells. Keratin (/ ˈ k ɛr ə t ɪ n / [1] [2]) is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as scleroproteins.It is the key structural material making up scales, hair, nails, feathers, horns, claws, hooves, and the outer layer of skin in vertebrates.
Keratinization is part of the physical barrier formation (cornification), in which the keratinocytes produce more and more keratin and undergo terminal differentiation. The fully cornified keratinocytes that form the outermost layer are constantly shed off and replaced by new cells.
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Keratinization begins in the stratum spinosum, [5] although the actual keratinocytes begin in the stratum basale. [4] They have large pale-staining nuclei as they are active in synthesizing fibrillar proteins, known as cytokeratin, which build up within the cells aggregating together forming tonofibrils. The tonofibrils go on to form the ...
Keratinization is the differentiation of keratinocytes in the stratum granulosum into nonvital surface cells or squames to form the stratum corneum. The cells terminally differentiate as they migrate to the surface from the stratum basale where the progenitor cells are located to the superficial surface.
Sampling of human stratum corneum using a tape-stripping method [1]. The stratum corneum (Latin for 'horned layer') is the outermost layer of the epidermis.Consisting of dead tissue, it protects underlying tissue from infection, dehydration, chemicals and mechanical stress.
This can be the result of factors such as: thickness and degree of keratinization of the epithelium, blood flow to the gums, natural pigmentation of the skin, disease, and medications. [3] Since the colour of the gums can vary, uniformity of colour is more important than the underlying color itself.
The term cytokeratin began to be used in the late 1970s, when the protein subunits of keratin intermediate filaments inside cells were first being identified and characterized. [2]