Keratins (cytokeratins) are intermediate filament proteins that are mainly expressed in epithelial cells. Keratins assemble into filaments, forming heterodimers of an acidic keratin (or type I keratin, keratins 9 to 23) and a basic keratin (or type II keratin, keratins 1 to 8) (1,2). Keratin isoforms demonstrate tissue- and differentiation-specific profiles, which make them useful as biomarkers (1). Mutations in keratin genes are associated with skin disorders, liver and pancreatic diseases, and inflammatory intestinal diseases (3-6).
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