Goats: From Horn to Hoof! Blast by Katie Rupp

The protein of my choosing is keratin. However, after doing some research, I found out that there are many different types of keratin, and they differ in their functions and the organisms they are found in. I decided to research type 1 keratin 26, specifically the form of this protein found in Capra hircus, which is the scientific name for goats. I learned that keratin is an essential structural component in goat horns, hooves, and hair. The strength of a goat’s horns depends on the keratin content because horns are essentially bones coated with proteins, including keratin. Because of this, it is important for goats to be well nourished to maintain strong, healthy horns, especially for goats that have not been domesticated. Wild goats use their horns to attract a female, to compete for a mate through male to male competition, and to defend themselves. Type 1 keratin 26 plays a significant role in the structure of not only goats, but many other living organisms as well.

Figures: Type 1 keratin 26 is responsible for many functional structures of goats -- all the way from horn to hoof!

The  amino acid sequence that codes for this protein is as follows:

 1 msfrlsgvsr rlcsqagtgr ltggrtgfra gnvcsglgag ssfsgplgsv sskgsfshgg

      61 gglgsgvctg flenehgllp gnekvtlqnl ndrlasyldh vctleeanad leqkikgwye

     121 kygpgsgrql ahdyskyfsv tedlkrqiis vttcnasivl qnenarltad dfrlkcenel

     181 alhqsveadi nglhrvmdel tlctsdlemq cealseelty lkknhqeemk vmqgaargnv

     241 nveinaapgv dltvllnnmr aeyedlaeqn hedaeawfse kstslhqqis ddagaamaar

     301 nelmelkrnl qtleielqsl lamkhsyecs laetesnych qlqqiqeqig amedqlqqir

     361 metegqkleh erlldvkifl ekeiemyckl idgegrksks tcyksegrgp knsenqvkds

     421 keeavvktvv geldqlgsvl slrvhsveek sskisnitme qrlpskvp

Translation of the first 10 amino acids:

    Methionine, Serine, Phenylalanine, Arginine, Leucine, Serine, Glycine, Valine, Serine, Arginine

Citation:   

Jin, M, et al. “The Study on Biological Function of Keratin 26, a Novel Member of Liaoning Cashmere Goat Keratin Gene Family.” PloS One., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 20 Dec. 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27997570.                                                 

The first 15 lines of the mRNA nucleotide sequence that codes for type 1 keratin 26 are as follows:

 1 gagaaagggt cgtttggtgc tgttgccatg tcttttcgac tttctggtgt atccaggcgg

      61 ctctgctctc aagctggcac tggtcggcta actggtggaa ggacaggctt cagggctgga

     121 aatgtatgca gtgggttggg agcaggaagc agcttctctg gccctcttgg aagcgtttct

     181 tctaaaggaa gtttctctca tggtggtgga gggttgggaa gtggtgtctg tactggtttt

     241 cttgaaaatg agcatggcct cctccctggg aatgaaaagg taacactgca gaacctcaat

     301 gaccgcctgg catcctatct ggaccacgtg tgtactctgg aggaggccaa cgctgacctc

     361 gagcagaaaa tcaagggctg gtatgagaaa tatgggcctg gttctggccg gcaacttgct

     421 catgactata gtaaatattt ctcagtcact gaagatctca aaaggcagat tatttctgtg

     481 actacctgta atgccagcat tgttctacaa aatgaaaatg ccagactgac tgctgatgac

     541 ttcaggctga agtgtgaaaa tgagcttgct ctccaccaga gtgttgaggc tgacatcaat

     601 ggtcttcaca gagttatgga tgagctgact ctttgtacaa gtgacctgga gatgcagtgt

     661 gaagcactca gtgaggaact gacatacctc aaaaaaaatc accaggagga aatgaaagtc

     721 atgcagggtg cagccagggg gaacgtgaac gtggagataa atgcagcccc aggagtggac

     781 ctcactgttc tgttgaacaa catgagggct gagtacgagg acttggcgga acagaaccat

     841 gaagatgccg aggcctggtt tagcgagaag agcacatcgc tgcatcagca gatttctgac