Cytokeratins are a subfamily of intermediate filament proteins and are characterized by a remarkable biochemical diversity, represented in human epithelial tissues by at least 20 different polypeptides. They range in molecular weight between 40 kDa and 68 kDa and isoelectric pH between 4.9 – 7.8. The individual human cytokeratins are designated 1 to 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. The cytokeratin antibodies are not only of assistance in the differential diagnosis of tumors using immunohistochemistry on tissue sections, but are also a useful tool in cytopathology and flow cytometric assays.

The Life Science industry has been in the grips of a reproducibility crisis for a number of years. Abcam is leading the way in addressing the problem with our range of recombinant monoclonal antibodies and knockout edited cell lines for gold-standard validation.

One factor contributing to the crisis is the use of antibodies that are not suitable. This can lead to misleading results and the use of incorrect data informing project assumptions and direction. To help address this challenge, we have introduced an application and species grid on our primary antibody datasheets to make it easy to simplify identification of the right antibody for your needs.

Learn more here.