Molecular Mobility in Keratin-Rich Materials Monitored by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance : A Tool for the Evaluation of Structure-Giving Properties
(2023) In Biomacromolecules 24(6). p.2661-2673- Abstract
Keratins are structural proteins that are abundant in human skin, nails, and hair, where they provide mechanical strength. In the present study, we investigate the molecular mobilities and structures of three keratin-rich materials with clearly different mechanical properties: nails, stratum corneum (upper layer of epidermis), and keratinocytes (from lower layer of epidermis). We use solid-state NMR on natural-abundance 13C to characterize small changes in molecular dynamics in these biological materials with close to atomistic resolution. One strong advantage of this method is that it detects small fractions of mobile components in a molecularly complex material while it simultaneously gives information on the rigid components in the... (More)
Keratins are structural proteins that are abundant in human skin, nails, and hair, where they provide mechanical strength. In the present study, we investigate the molecular mobilities and structures of three keratin-rich materials with clearly different mechanical properties: nails, stratum corneum (upper layer of epidermis), and keratinocytes (from lower layer of epidermis). We use solid-state NMR on natural-abundance 13C to characterize small changes in molecular dynamics in these biological materials with close to atomistic resolution. One strong advantage of this method is that it detects small fractions of mobile components in a molecularly complex material while it simultaneously gives information on the rigid components in the very same sample. The molecular mobility can be linked to mechanical material properties in different conditions, including hydration or exposure to osmolytes or organic solvents. Importantly, the study revealed that the response to both hydration and addition of urea is clearly different for the nail keratin compared to the stratum corneum keratin. The comparative examination of these materials may provide a better understanding of skin diseases originating from keratin malfunction and contributes to the design and development of new materials.
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- author
- Gunnarsson, Maria LU ; Larsson, Sandra LU ; Malak, Monika ; Ericson, Marica B. ; Topgaard, Daniel LU and Sparr, Emma LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023-06-12
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Biomacromolecules
- volume
- 24
- issue
- 6
- pages
- 13 pages
- publisher
- The American Chemical Society (ACS)
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:37199647
- scopus:85160713744
- ISSN
- 1525-7797
- DOI
- 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00131
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 16d8995f-7fff-491b-9f9f-ce0bf375c483
- date added to LUP
- 2023-08-28 14:23:27
- date last changed
- 2024-04-20 02:05:57
@article{16d8995f-7fff-491b-9f9f-ce0bf375c483,
abstract = {{<p>Keratins are structural proteins that are abundant in human skin, nails, and hair, where they provide mechanical strength. In the present study, we investigate the molecular mobilities and structures of three keratin-rich materials with clearly different mechanical properties: nails, stratum corneum (upper layer of epidermis), and keratinocytes (from lower layer of epidermis). We use solid-state NMR on natural-abundance 13C to characterize small changes in molecular dynamics in these biological materials with close to atomistic resolution. One strong advantage of this method is that it detects small fractions of mobile components in a molecularly complex material while it simultaneously gives information on the rigid components in the very same sample. The molecular mobility can be linked to mechanical material properties in different conditions, including hydration or exposure to osmolytes or organic solvents. Importantly, the study revealed that the response to both hydration and addition of urea is clearly different for the nail keratin compared to the stratum corneum keratin. The comparative examination of these materials may provide a better understanding of skin diseases originating from keratin malfunction and contributes to the design and development of new materials.</p>}},
author = {{Gunnarsson, Maria and Larsson, Sandra and Malak, Monika and Ericson, Marica B. and Topgaard, Daniel and Sparr, Emma}},
issn = {{1525-7797}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{06}},
number = {{6}},
pages = {{2661--2673}},
publisher = {{The American Chemical Society (ACS)}},
series = {{Biomacromolecules}},
title = {{Molecular Mobility in Keratin-Rich Materials Monitored by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance : A Tool for the Evaluation of Structure-Giving Properties}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00131}},
doi = {{10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00131}},
volume = {{24}},
year = {{2023}},
}