Revealing the complexity of ovine KRTAPs and KRTs

Abstract

Wool from sheep is a natural fibre with unique attributes. It is widely used in the apparel, insulation and carpet industries, and we have long recognised its thermal attributes, breathability and fire resistance. Wool fibres are primarily composed of proteins called hard α-keratins. The α-keratins contain a high relative abundance of cysteine. The α-keratins are assembled into keratin intermediate filaments (KIFs), before being embedded in a matrix containing keratin-associated proteins (KAPs). There are other protein components in wool, such as trichohyalin, but these proteins are not regarded to be essential to the fibre structure.