| Description |
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As a result of the squamous epithelial cell and connective tissue hyperplasia which develops around the base of the tube, some of the surface keratin squames may be implanted into the dermis.
Keratin is an insoluble protein polymer complex which develops as the end product of the terminally differentiated epidermal cell. As the epidermal cell migrates from the basal layer to the surface, its cytoplasmic proteins undergo extensive polymerization and cross-linkages develop by the conversion of sulfhydryl groups to disulfide bonds.
The result is a two-component system consisting of a low-sulphur fibrous protein (alpha-keratin) which is embedded in an amorphous high-sulphur protein matrix (gamma-keratin).
As a result of all these changes, keratin becomes insoluble in body fluids and is now recognized as a "foreign" protein by the body's immune system. |
