Fractionation and characterization of the human epidermal stratum corneum in keratinization disorders.

Abstract

AbstractStratum corneum obtained from persons with a variety of keratinization disorders was fractionated into keratin fibers, water soluble proteins and cell membranes. SDS gel electrophoresis was used to study the keratin fibrous and water soluble fractions, and amino‐acid analysis was employed for the membraneous fractions.Electrophoresis of the keratin fibrous fractions obtained from cases of epidermolytic hyperkeratosis and psoriasis vulgaris revealed a significant decrease in the 55,000 dalton subunit was observed. Similarly, a reduction of the 73,000 dalton subunit was observed in samples from a case of keratoma climacterium. Minor variations from the normal were recorded from cases of ichthyosis vulgaris, lamellar ichthyosis, and palmoplantar keratosis (which included a Vörner and punctate type, and one with corneal dystrophy).The water soluble fractions from all the cases of keratinization disorders studied exhibited different densities for the individual polypeptides after electrophoresis.The most impressive changes were revealed by amino‐acid analysis of the membraneous fractions. Half‐cystine and proline were uniformly reduced in cases of ichthyosis vulgaris, lamellar ichthyosis, punctate palmo‐plantar keratosis, palmoplantar keratosis with corneal dystrophy and keratoma climacterium, and the presence of an abnormal amino‐acid, ornithine, was characteristic of epidermolytic hyperkeratosis and psoriasis vulgaris.