Keratin 8

Utility as an immunohistochemical stain

Antibodies to CK8 (e.g. CAM 5.2) can be used to differentiate lobular carcinoma of the breast from ductal carcinoma of the breast. CAM 5.2, an antibody that reacts with an epitope found on both CK8 and CK18, is used in immunohistochemistry to demonstrate certain forms of cancer. In normal tissue, it reacts mainly with secretory epithelia, but not with squamous epithelium, such as that found in the skin, cervix, and esophagus. However, it also reacts with a range of malignant cells, including those derived from secretory epithelia, but also some squamous carcinomata, such as spindle cell carcinoma. It is considered useful in identifying microscopic metastases of breast carcinoma in lymph nodes, and in distinguishing Paget's disease from melanoma. It also reacts with neuroendocrine tumors.

Keratin 8 is often used together with keratin 18 and keratin 19 to differentiate cells of epithelial origin from hematopoietic cells in tests that enumerate circulating tumor cells in blood.

Interactions

Keratin 8 has been shown to interact with MAPK14, Pinin and PPL.

References

References

1. (March 2006). "New trends of immunohistochemistry for making differential diagnosis of breast lesions". Med Mol Morphol.
2. Leong, Anthony S-Y. (2003). "Manual of Diagnostic Cytology". Greenwich Medical Media, Ltd..
3. (October 2004). "Tumor Cells Circulate in the Peripheral Blood of All Major Carcinomas but not in Healthy Subjects or Patients With Nonmalignant Diseases". Clinical Cancer Research.
4. Ku, Nam-On. (March 2002). "Keratin 8 phosphorylation by p38 kinase regulates cellular keratin filament reorganization: modulation by a keratin 1-like disease causing mutation". J. Biol. Chem..
5. Shi, J. (May 2000). "Dissection of protein linkage between keratins and pinin, a protein with dual location at desmosome-intermediate filament complex and in the nucleus". J. Biol. Chem..
6. Kazerounian, Shideh. (October 2002). "Unique role for the periplakin tail in intermediate filament association: specific binding to keratin 8 and vimentin". Exp. Dermatol..