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Nature 441, 296-297 (18 May 2006) | doi:10.1038/441296a; Published online 17 May 2006

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Cell biology: Skin care by keratins

M. Bishr Omary1 & Nam-On Ku1

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Keratin proteins perform several functions in skin cells, including those of providing mechanical support and protection against injury. But it seems they also have a more active part to play in healing wounds.

Like the musculoskeletal framework of humans or the steel-girder scaffolds of buildings, the intermediate filaments of the cytoskeleton shield cells from mechanical forms of injury1, 2, 3. Intermediate filaments are made up of a large family of tissue-specific proteins, including desmin in muscle, neurofilaments in neurons and keratins in the epithelial cells that line organs such as the skin1, 2, 3.

  1. M. Bishr Omary and Nam-On Ku are in the Department of Medicine, VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Stanford University School of Medicine, 3801 Miranda Avenue, Mail code 154J, Palo Alto, California 94304, USA.
    Email: mbishr@stanford.edu

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