Abstract
ABSTRACTTo investigate the process of keratin formation, changes in polypeptide composition of epidermal keratin and of prekeratin were examined using serial slices of human skin. In most of the skin surface, prekeratin was composed of 70K, 58K, 56K, 49.5K and occasionally 55K polypeptides, and an additional 63K polypeptide was present in the skin of the palm and sole. The decrease in molecular weight of these prekeratins to that of keratins was observed in the region of the granular and transient cell layers, especially in that of palm and sole. This was partially confirmed by preliminary digestion experiments in vitro. Our present studies suggest that limited proteolysis of higher molecular weight prekeratin(s) is a step in keratin formation of the stratum corneum.
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