Description
Background: Keratins are a large family of proteins that form the intermediate filament cytoskeleton of epithelial cells. Keratin expression is highly regulated, tissue specific, and varies according to cell-state. Type I keratins consist of acidic, low molecular weight proteins with MW ranging from 40 kDa (KRT19) to 64 kDa (KRT9). Type 2 keratins consist of basic or neutral, high molecular weight proteins with MW from 52 kDa (KRT8) to 67 kDa (KRT18). KRT18, also named as CYK18, PIG46 and K18, is the most commonly found members of the intermediate filament gene family. KRT18 is a type I keratin which is found primarily in non squamous epithelia and is present in a majority of adenocarcinomas and ductal carcinomas but not in squamous cell carcinomas