Term: keratin
Literally meaning: “protein of horn”
Origin: Anc Greek
κέρας/keras(=horn)
> (genitive): κέρατος/keratos
Coined/History
The word appeared in literature around
1849 but the first attempt to extract keratins was by John Hoffmeier in 1905.
Definition
Keratins is a group of insoluble and
tough fibrous proteins that are the main structural component in skin, nails, hair,
horns, feathers, hooves and teeth. Keratins are rich in sulfur-containing
aminoacids such as cysteine.
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