Keratin 6 (KRT6) - Epithelial cell marker used for differential diagnostics of cancer

The keratin gene family is a large group of intermediate filament and structural proteins that provide the structural components of hair, nails, horns, scales, claws and similar types of hard tissues. Keratins are also important for intracellular stability in epithelial tissues and different keratins often display organ- or tissue specific expression patterns. Due to these specific expression patterns, keratins are often used as diagnostic biomarkers. Keratin 6 is a type II keratin expressed in strattified epithelia. Keratin 6 is often used in combination with other specific keratins, such as keratin 5, 7 or 20 to diagnose and differentiate between many forms of cancer, including lung-, breast-, and prostate cancer.