Cytokeratin 19 Antibody

Cytokeratin 19, also called Keratin 19 and CK19, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the KRT19 gene. The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the keratin family. It is specifically expressed in the periderm, the transiently superficial layer that envelops the developing epidermis. The type I cytokeratins are clustered in a region of chromosome 17q12-q21. Due to its high sensitivity, CK19 is the most used marker for the RT-PCR-mediated detection of tumor cells disseminated in lymph nodes, peripheral blood, and bone marrow of breast cancer patients. Keratin 19 is often used together with keratin 8 and keratin 18 to differentiate cells of epithelial origin from hematopoietic cells in tests that enumerate circulating tumor cells in blood.