Calcification provides mechanical reinforcement to whale baleen α-keratin
Hard α-keratins such as hair, nail, wool and horn are stiff epidermal appendages used by mammals in a variety of functions including thermoregulation, feeding and intraspecific competition. Hard α-keratins are fibre-reinforced structures consisting of cytoskeletal elements known as ‘intermediate fil...
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ftpubmed:oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:2982044 2023-05-15T15:37:06+02:00 Calcification provides mechanical reinforcement to whale baleen α-keratin Szewciw, L. J. de Kerckhove, D. G. Grime, G. W. Fudge, D. S. 2010-09-07 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2982044 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20392736 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.0399 en eng The Royal Society http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2982044 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20392736 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.0399 © 2010 The Royal Society Research Articles Text 2010 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.0399 2013-09-03T07:32:09Z Hard α-keratins such as hair, nail, wool and horn are stiff epidermal appendages used by mammals in a variety of functions including thermoregulation, feeding and intraspecific competition. Hard α-keratins are fibre-reinforced structures consisting of cytoskeletal elements known as ‘intermediate filaments’ embedded in an amorphous protein matrix. Recent research has shown that intermediate filaments are soft and extensible in living keratinocytes but become far stiffer and less extensible in keratinized cells, and this stiffening may be mediated by air-drying. Baleen, the keratinous plates used by baleen whales during filter feeding, is an unusual mammalian keratin in that it never air dries, and in some species, it represents the most heavily calcified of all the hard α-keratins. We therefore tested the hypothesis that whale baleen is stiffened by calcification. Here, we provide, to our knowledge, the first comprehensive description of baleen material properties and show that calcification contributes to overcoming the shortcomings of stiffening this hard α-keratin without the benefit of air-drying. We also demonstrate striking interspecies differences in the calcification patterns among three species of baleen whales and provide novel insights into the function and evolution of this unusual biomaterial. Text baleen whales PubMed Central (PMC) Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 277 1694 2597 2605 |
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Research Articles |
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Research Articles Szewciw, L. J. de Kerckhove, D. G. Grime, G. W. Fudge, D. S. Calcification provides mechanical reinforcement to whale baleen α-keratin |
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Research Articles |
description |
Hard α-keratins such as hair, nail, wool and horn are stiff epidermal appendages used by mammals in a variety of functions including thermoregulation, feeding and intraspecific competition. Hard α-keratins are fibre-reinforced structures consisting of cytoskeletal elements known as ‘intermediate filaments’ embedded in an amorphous protein matrix. Recent research has shown that intermediate filaments are soft and extensible in living keratinocytes but become far stiffer and less extensible in keratinized cells, and this stiffening may be mediated by air-drying. Baleen, the keratinous plates used by baleen whales during filter feeding, is an unusual mammalian keratin in that it never air dries, and in some species, it represents the most heavily calcified of all the hard α-keratins. We therefore tested the hypothesis that whale baleen is stiffened by calcification. Here, we provide, to our knowledge, the first comprehensive description of baleen material properties and show that calcification contributes to overcoming the shortcomings of stiffening this hard α-keratin without the benefit of air-drying. We also demonstrate striking interspecies differences in the calcification patterns among three species of baleen whales and provide novel insights into the function and evolution of this unusual biomaterial. |
format |
Text |
author |
Szewciw, L. J. de Kerckhove, D. G. Grime, G. W. Fudge, D. S. |
author_facet |
Szewciw, L. J. de Kerckhove, D. G. Grime, G. W. Fudge, D. S. |
author_sort |
Szewciw, L. J. |
title |
Calcification provides mechanical reinforcement to whale baleen α-keratin |
title_short |
Calcification provides mechanical reinforcement to whale baleen α-keratin |
title_full |
Calcification provides mechanical reinforcement to whale baleen α-keratin |
title_fullStr |
Calcification provides mechanical reinforcement to whale baleen α-keratin |
title_full_unstemmed |
Calcification provides mechanical reinforcement to whale baleen α-keratin |
title_sort |
calcification provides mechanical reinforcement to whale baleen α-keratin |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2010 |
url |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2982044 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20392736 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.0399 |
genre |
baleen whales |
genre_facet |
baleen whales |
op_relation |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2982044 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20392736 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.0399 |
op_rights |
© 2010 The Royal Society |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.0399 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
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277 |
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1694 |
container_start_page |
2597 |
op_container_end_page |
2605 |
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1766367558661832704 |