Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Alpha-keratin, or α-keratin, is a type of keratin found in mammalian vertebrates.This protein is the primary component in hairs, horns, claws, nails and the epidermis layer of the skin. α-keratin is a fibrous structural protein, meaning it is made up of amino acids that form a repeating secondary structure.
Human hair is approximately 14% cysteine. The pungent smells of burning hair and skin are due to the volatile sulfur compounds formed. Extensive disulfide bonding contributes to the insolubility of keratins, except in a small number of solvents such as dissociating or reducing agents. A human toe nail that fell off after a small trauma.
The integumentary system includes skin, hair, scales, feathers, hooves, claws, and nails. It has a variety of additional functions: it may serve to maintain water balance, protect the deeper tissues, excrete wastes, and regulate body temperature , and is the attachment site for sensory receptors which detect pain, sensation, pressure, and ...
Keratin is a crucial fibrous protein found in animals, constituting tough structures like hair, feathers, nails, and horns. It's classified based on tissue origin and sulfur content: soft keratins have lower sulfur, while hard keratins, found in hair and claws, contain more sulfur, creating a stronger structure. [2]
The nail is an unguis, meaning a keratin structure at the end of a digit. Other examples of ungues include the claw, hoof, and talon. The nails of primates and the hooves of running mammals evolved from the claws of earlier animals. [38] In contrast to nails, claws are typically curved ventrally (downwards in animals) and compressed sideways.
Its complex structure slides as the hair swells and is covered with a single molecular layer of lipid that makes the hair repel water. [7] The diameter of human hair varies from 0.017 to 0.18 millimeters (0.00067 to 0.00709 in). [ 10 ]
The human body is the entire structure of a human being. It is composed of many different types of cells that together create tissues and subsequently organs and then organ systems. The external human body consists of a head, hair, neck, torso (which includes the thorax and abdomen), genitals, arms, hands, legs, and feet.
Keratin is a structural protein mainly found in hair, nails, hooves, horns, quills. [14] Basically keratin is formed by polypeptide chains, which coil into α-helices with sulfur cross-links or bond into β-sheets linked by hydrogen bonding. β-keratin, which is tougher than α-conformation, is more common in birds and reptiles.