Anti-Human Cytokeratin 18 (Clone LDK18) - Dylight^® 488 (C3462-100ug)

Cytokeratin-18 (CK18 or KRT18) is a cytoskeletal, type I intermediate filament protein1 . CK18 is co-expressed with cytokeratin-8 (CK8), a type II intermediate filament protein 2 , and together they form a flexible heterodimeric intracellular scaffold to structure the cytoplasm. CK18 is important for apoptosis, mitosis, cell cycle progression, and cell signaling and is particularly abundant in the liver, where it comprises 5% of total liver protein 2, 3 . CK18 is vital to liver development; knockout mice lacking CK18 develop liver lesions and tumors 2 . CK18 has clinical relevance to drug-induced liver disease and various cancers. During acute and chronic hepatocellular injury, necrotic cells passively release CK18 2 . The CK18 levels increase in serum and plasma 3 , and the degree of increase reflects the degree of necrotic hepatocellular injury and/or apoptosis 2 . Full length CK18 contains two caspase consensus sites, DALD and VEVD, that are targeted during apoptosis to facilitate cytoskeleton degradation. Both full length CK18 and the caspase cleaved fragments (ccCK18) are prognostic markers for drug-induced liver injury 2, 3 . In clinical settings, CK18 and ccCK18 fragments can be readily quantified by immunoassays, with full length CK18 particularly useful in diagnosing early-stage drug-induced liver injury 2 . Additionally, when pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines are measured in combination with CK18 and ccCK18, the mechanism of hepatocellular injury (necrosis or apoptosis) can be determined. CK18 also serves as a differential diagnostic marker in various cancers 1 . Additionally, changes in CK18 expression are associated with poor prognosis in a variety of cancers, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, lung cancer, and some adenocarcinomas.