Question

Transparent part of human nail is made up of
A. Living protein eleidin
B. Dead protein keratin
C. Collagen fibres
D. All of the above.

Answer 1

Hint:This is the same substance that our body uses to create hair and the top layer of our skin. We had fingernails and toenails before we were even born.

Complete answer:
To answer this question, first, we need to know about the composition of human nails. A nail is a horn-like keratinous plate at the tip of the fingers and toes in most primates. Nails correspond to claws found in other animals. Fingernails and toenails are made of a tough protective protein called alpha-keratin which is found in the hooves, hair, claws and horns of vertebrates.
Now, let us find the solution from the option.
Eleidin is a clear intracellular protein which is present in the stratum lucidum of the skin.
A nail is a horn-like envelope covering the tips of the fingers and toes in humans, most non-human primates, and a few other mammals. Nails are the same structure with claws in other animals. Toenails and fingernails are composed of a rigid protective dead protein known as keratin. This protein is also present in the horns and hooves of other animals.

Collagen is a kind of protein fiber found abundantly throughout our body. It provides strength and cushioning to many different areas of the body, including the skin.

Thus, the correct answer is option B. i.e. Dead protein keratin.

Note:Heavily harvested tissue produces the nails from changed lucidum and stratum corneum. At the base of the nail, partially tucked under the cuticle, the strata thicken to form a whitish area known as the lunula that can be seen via the nail. Below the lunula is the nail matrix, a space of dense strata on which mitosis pressed previously developed cornified cells forward, resulting in the nail growing.