What is a protein that waterproofs and protects the cells and tissues underneath?
What is a protein that waterproofs and protects the cells and tissues underneath?
The outer superficial layer of skin is the epidermis. The outer layers of epidermal cells contain keratin (protein), which waterproofs and protects the cells and tissues that lie underneath.
What protects the cells and tissues underneath?
The integumentary system consists of the skin, hair, nails, the subcutaneous tissue below the skin, and assorted glands. The most obvious function of the integumentary system is the protection that the skin gives to underlying tissues.
What protein waterproofs the skin?
– 1 – the keratinocytes: They produce a protein: the keratin that helps waterproof the skin and that protects the skin and the underlying tissues from heat, microbes, abrasion and chemicals.
How does melanin protect underlying cells?
UVA radiation causes lesions or DNA damage to melanocytes, which are the skin cells that produce the skin pigment known as melanin. Melanin is a protective pigment in skin, blocking UV radiation from damaging DNA and potentially causing skin cancer.
How does keratin make skin tough?
Keratin also protects epithelial cells from damage or stress. Keratin is extremely insoluble in water and organic solvents. Keratin monomers assemble into bundles to form intermediate filaments, which are tough and form strong unmineralized epidermal appendages found in reptiles, birds, amphibians, and mammals.
What layer of skin has keratin?
Epidermis
Epidermis: The outer layer The epidermis also hosts different types of cells: Keratinocytes, which produce the protein known as keratin, the main component of the epidermis.
What does melanin do to protect the skin?
The results appear in the August 13, 2007, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Melanin is a pigment produced in the skin that helps protect cells from cancer-causing UV rays.
How does protein play a role in skin pigmentation?
Protein Plays an Important Role in Increased Skin Pigmentation That Can Help Protect Against Harmful UV Exposure. UV radiation from the sun or other sources, such as tanning parlors, can cause many types of damage to the skin and has been associated with a process that leads to many types of skin cancers.
What are the functions of melanin in cephalopods?
A form of melanin makes up the ink used by many cephalopods (see cephalopod ink) as a defense mechanism against predators. Melanins also protect microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, against stresses that involve cell damage such as UV radiation from the sun and reactive oxygen species.
What causes the molecular weight of melanin to decrease?
In addition to melanin deficiency, the molecular weight of the melanin polymer may be decreased by various factors such as oxidative stress, exposure to light, perturbation in its association with melanosomal matrix proteins, changes in pH, or in local concentrations of metal ions.
How does melanin protect the skin from radiation?
Because of this property, melanin is thought to protect skin cells from UVB radiation damage, reducing the risk of cancer, and it is considered that exposure to UV radiation is associated with increased risk of malignant melanoma, a cancer of melanocytes (melanin cells).
Where is melanin found in the human body?
The melanin in the skin is produced by melanocytes, which are found in the basal layer of the epidermis. Although, in general, human beings possess a similar concentration of melanocytes in their skin, the melanocytes in some individuals and ethnic groups produce variable amounts of melanin.
A form of melanin makes up the ink used by many cephalopods (see cephalopod ink) as a defense mechanism against predators. Melanins also protect microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, against stresses that involve cell damage such as UV radiation from the sun and reactive oxygen species.
In addition to melanin deficiency, the molecular weight of the melanin polymer may be decreased by various factors such as oxidative stress, exposure to light, perturbation in its association with melanosomal matrix proteins, changes in pH, or in local concentrations of metal ions.