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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 ...
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.
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.
Insect exoskeleton (comprising sclerotin): abandoned exuviae of a dragonfly. Sclerotin is a component of the cuticle of various Arthropoda, most familiarly insects.It is formed by cross-linking members of particular classes of protein molecules, a biochemical process called sclerotization, a form of tanning in which quinones are enzymatically introduced into the cuticle, and react with ...
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Keratohyalin is a protein structure found in cytoplasmic granules of the keratinocytes in the stratum granulosum of the epidermis.Keratohyalin granules (KHG) mainly consist of keratin, profilaggrin, [1] loricrin [2] and trichohyalin proteins which contribute to cornification or keratinization, the process of the formation of epidermal cornified cell envelope.
Chytrids are saprobic, degrading refractory materials such as chitin and keratin, and sometimes act as parasites. [4] There has been a significant increase in the research of chytrids since the discovery of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, the causal agent of chytridiomycosis. [5] [6]
Like cellulose, chitin is an abundant biopolymer that is relatively resistant to degradation. [17] Many mammals can digest chitin and the specific chitinase levels in vertebrate species are adapted to their feeding behaviours. [18] Certain fish are able to digest chitin. [19] Chitinases have been isolated from the stomachs of mammals, including ...