THE KERATIN PROTEINS AND GENES OF WOOL AND HAIR

This review has endeavoured to outline the state of knowledge of the w ool keratin proteins and their genes from structural viewpoints. The a cquisition of sequence information over the last decade through molecu lar techniques, combined with the protein data derived in the '70s and '80s, now represents a database of significant proportions describing the proteins and genes of wool. The challenge is now to determine whe re these proteins are located in the keratin IF/matrix complex and how they interact. Gene mapping programs are revealing interesting links between keratin genes that have ramifications for the mechanisms of ke ratin gene regulation. While the study of keratin gene regulation is i n its infancy it will be an active field for years to come. The recent discovery of a transcription factor that not only regulates hair kera tin gene expression but also hair follicle initiation shows how differ ent: fields of research can come together in exciting and unexpected w ays.