Keratin is present in both skin and nail. However, skin is much more flexible than the nail. This is because keratin of skin has?
Keratins are fibrous proteins present in hair, skin and nails, horn, hoof, etc. They mainly have the alpha helical structure. Each fibril has 3 polypeptide chains and each bundle has about 10-12 bundles. The matrix has cysteine-rich polypeptide chains which are held together by disulfide bonds. The more the number of disulfide bonds, the harder the keratin is. This is the reason behind skin is more flexible than nail. Ref: Essentials of Medical Biochemistry: With Clinical Cases By N. V. Bhagavan, Chung-Eun Ha, 2011, Page 33
Less number of disulfide bonds
Lesser number of salt bridges
Higher Na content
Different affinities of water