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Publications [#113215] of Harold P. Erickson

Papers Published

  1. L Milam, HP Erickson, Visualization of a 21-nm axial periodicity in shadowed keratin filaments and neurofilaments., The Journal of cell biology, UNITED STATES, vol. 94 no. 3 (September, 1982), pp. 592-6, ISSN 0021-9525
    (last updated on 2009/02/12)

    Abstract:
    Unidirectional and rotary shadowing techniques have been applied in studying the surface structure of two types of intermediate filaments. Keratin filaments and neurofilaments demonstrate a approximately 21-nm axial periodicity which probably indicates the helical pitch of the outer shell of the filament. Analysis of unidirectionally shadowed keratin showed that the helix is left-handed. The observation of a left-handed helix of 21-nm pitch supports the three-stranded protofilament model of Fraser, Macrae, and Suzuki (1976, J. Mol. Biol. 108:435-452), and indicates that keratin filaments probably consist of 10 three-stranded protofilaments surrounding a core of three such protofilaments, as predicted by models based on x-ray diffraction of hard keratin filaments. Neurofilaments do not demonstrate an easily identifiable hand, so their consistency with the model is, as yet, uncertain.

    Keywords:
    Animals • Cattle • Cytoskeleton • Keratins* • Microscopy, Electron • ultrastructure*


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