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Chitin is the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature (behind only cellulose); an estimated 1 billion tons of chitin are produced each year in the biosphere. [1] It is a primary component of cell walls in fungi (especially filamentous and mushroom-forming fungi), the exoskeletons of arthropods such as crustaceans and insects, the radulae ...
Alpha-keratin (α-keratin) is a type of keratin found in vertebrates. It is the key structural material making up scales, hair, nails, feathers, horns, claws, hooves, and the outer layer of skin among vertebrates. Keratin also protects epithelial cells from damage or stress. Keratin is extremely insoluble in water and organic solvents.
Supple chitin holds the sclerites together and connects the segments flexibly. Similar chitin connects the joints in the legs. Sclerotised tubular leg segments house the leg muscles, their nerves and attachments, leaving room for the passage of blood to and from the hemocoel. Hardened plates in the exoskeleton are called sclerites.
Chemical structure of chitin chains. Chitin is the world's second most abundant natural polymer, with collagen being the first. It is a "linear polysaccharide of β-(1-4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose". [10] Chitin is highly crystalline and is usually composed of chains organized in a β sheet.
The first sequences of keratins revealed that keratins could be grouped into two categories based on their sequence homologies. [1] [2] These two groups of keratins were named as type I and type II keratins. [2]
Cutin is one of two waxy polymers that are the main components of the plant cuticle, which covers all aerial surfaces of plants, the other being cutan.It is an insoluble substance with waterproof quality.
Both bovine and equine hooves are made of the protein α-Keratin. [11] α-Keratin is a structural, fibrous protein, the same one found in our hair and nails. The keratin molecules are held together by H-bonding and disulfide cross-linked bonds, which enhance the rigidity of the protein. [12] α-Keratin chains twist together to form coiled-coil ...
Ames test – salmonella bacteria is exposed to a chemical under question (a food additive, for example), and changes in the way the bacteria grows are measured. This test is useful for screening chemicals to see if they mutate the structure of DNA and by extension identifying their potential to cause cancer in humans.