Keratins are a well known group of intermediate filament proteins. Like actin filaments, keratins are flexible but provide a firm cell skeleton.Unlike actin, however, no known keratins are associated with motor functions. Approximately 10 keratins form the basis of hair or claw,with a further 20 found in internal body cavity epithelia. They are alsofound at desmosomes and hemi-desmosomes (cell/cell and cell/matrix contacts respectively).Type I keratins are a group of acidic intermediate filament proteins thatexist as chains of hetero-dimers with basic type II keratins. Each typeI keratin consists of head-, rod- and tail-like structures, the rod beingconstructed from three linked coils: 1A, 1B and 2. Type I proteins are associated with a number of inherited developmental disorders, such as baldness, beading of hair, and skin blistering.
Taxonomy/Path:
InterPro : Intermediate filament protein / Keratin, type I