Incorporation of [3H]glucosamine into keratin‐related polypeptides in pig epidermis

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Abstract
Metabolic labelling studies have provided evidence for glycosylated keratins in cultured pig epidermis. [3H]Glucosamine was incorporated into five major particulate polypeptides of M r 68000, 61000, 57000, 53 000 and 48 000. Radioactivity was present in protein-bound carbohydrate. Non-enzymic glycation was excluded. Labelling was largely unaffected by tunicamycin indicating that radioactivity was incorporated mainly into O-linked oligosaccharides. These [3H]glucosamine-labelled components were closely related to keratins since (i) they had a similar electrophoretic mobility to polypeptides of purified pig prekeratin, (ii) they were immunoprecipitated by anti-prekeratin serum and (iii) they were incorporated into reconstituted, intermediate-sized, keratin filaments.