Ceratinum

Ceratinum (e verbo Graeco κέρας, κέρατοςː 'cornu') -vel fortasse potius ceratina, quoniam plura sunt- est proteina fibrosa cytosceleti in ceratinocytis producta. E diametri magnitudine (circiter 10 nm) inter filamenta media ponitur. Ceratinum durum in animalium cornu, capillis, villis, lana, unguibus, pennis invenitur. Ceratinum mollius in cellulis vivis versatur. In strato superficiali cutis humanae (necnon aliorum mammalium) cellulae epitheliales epidermidis iam mortuae cumulantur, in quibus paene nihil nisi ceratinum valde compressum remanet. Illud impermeabile tegumentum totum corpus protegit tam adversus solis radios quam contra bacterias. Ceratina intracellularia (endoceratina) a ceratinis extracellularibus (extraceratina) distingui solent

Molecula ceratini e dimero helicum α consistit. Nam in structura primaria ceratinorum aminoacida per septena repetuntur, ita ut aminoacida non polaria, hoc est hydrophoba, semper primum et quartum locum septenorum occupant. Ita duae helices per appendices hydrophobas sese conglutinant quae invicem adtrahant. Deinde plura dimera structuram aedificant rudentibus aut restibus manu factis similiorem. Haec aedificatio energiam non expendit. In alpha-ceratinis, quae in duris structuris versantur, multa cysteina reperiuntur, quae pontes sulphureos inter filamenta iungunt.

Mutationes geneticae in ceratino gravium morborum causa inveniuntur, exempli gratia in epidermolysi bullosa simplici, cum strata epithelii dehiscunt et vesiculae interveniunt.

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• De ceratino apud Aquaportail