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Description

Cytokeratins are a subfamily of intermediate filament proteins and are characterized by a remarkable biochemical diversity, represented in epithelial tissues by at least 20 different polypeptides. They range in molecular weight from between 40 kDa and 68 kDa and isoelectric pH between 4.9 - 7.8, The individual cytokeratin polypeptides are designated 1-20. The various epithelia in the human body usually express cytokeratins which are not only characteristic of the type of epithelium, but also related to the degree of maturation or differentiation within an epithelium. Cytokeratin subtype expression patterns are used to an increasing extent in the distinction of different types of epithelial malignancies.