Keratin 18 is atype I cytokeratin. It is, together with its filament partnerkeratin 8, perhaps the most commonly found products of theintermediate filament gene family. They are expressed in single layerepithelial tissues of the body. Mutations in this gene have been linked tocryptogeniccirrhosis. Two transcript variants encoding the same protein have been found for this gene.[5]
Keratin 18 is often used together withkeratin 8 andkeratin 19 to differentiate cells of epithelial origin from hematopoietic cells in tests that enumeratecirculating tumor cells in blood.[6]
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Waseem A, Alexander CM, Steel JB, Lane EB (1991). "Embryonic simple epithelial keratins 8 and 18: chromosomal location emphasizes difference from other keratin pairs".New Biol.2 (5):464–78.PMID1705144.
Romano V, Hatzfeld M, Magin TM, et al. (1986). "Cytokeratin expression in simple epithelia. I. Identification of mRNA coding for human cytokeratin no. 18 by a cDNA clone".Differentiation.30 (3):244–53.doi:10.1111/j.1432-0436.1986.tb00787.x.PMID2422083.
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Leube RE, Bosch FX, Romano V, et al. (1987). "Cytokeratin expression in simple epithelia. III. Detection of mRNAs encoding human cytokeratins nos. 8 and 18 in normal and tumor cells by hybridization with cDNA sequences in vitro and in situ".Differentiation.33 (1):69–85.doi:10.1111/j.1432-0436.1986.tb00412.x.PMID2434381.
Sémat A, Vasseur M, Maillet L, et al. (1988). "Sequence analysis of murine cytokeratin endo A (no. 8) cDNA. Evidence for mRNA species initiated upstream of the normal 5' end in PCC4 cells".Differentiation.37 (1):40–6.doi:10.1111/j.1432-0436.1988.tb00794.x.PMID2454862.
Neumaier M, Gerhard M, Wagener C (1995). "Diagnosis of micrometastases by the amplification of tissue-specific genes".Gene.159 (1):43–7.doi:10.1016/0378-1119(94)00522-T.PMID7541767.
Maruyama K, Sugano S (1994). "Oligo-capping: a simple method to replace the cap structure of eukaryotic mRNAs with oligoribonucleotides".Gene.138 (1–2):171–4.doi:10.1016/0378-1119(94)90802-8.PMID8125298.
