The main structural proteins of mammalian hair fiber are the hair keratins (see MIM 601077) and the keratin-associated proteins (KAPs), which form a rigid and resistant hair shaft through extensive disulfide bond crosslinking with the abundant cysteines of hair keratins (Shimomura et al., 2002 (PubMed 12228244)).(supplied by OMIM)
Function: In the hair cortex, hair keratin intermediate filaments are embedded in an interfilamentous matrix, consisting of hair keratin-associated proteins (KRTAP), which are essential for the formation of a rigid and resistant hair shaft through their extensive disulfide bond cross-linking with abundant cysteine residues of hair keratins. The matrix proteins include the high-sulfur and high-glycine-tyrosine keratins.