Cytokeratin 6a Products

The human type II Cytokeratin 6 (CK6; 56 kDa) is expressed in a heterogeneous array of epithelial tissues under normal conditions, but is better known for its strong induction in stratified epithelia that feature an enhanced cell proliferation rate or abnormal differentiation. It has been demonstrated that CK6 isoform, CK6a, is clearly the dominant CK6 isoform in skin tissue samples and cultured epithelial cell lines and that the various isoforms are differentially regulated within and between epithelial tissue types (1). The murine genome is known to have two keratin 6 (CK6) genes, mouse CK6, CK6a and MK6b. These genes display a complex expression pattern with constitutive expression in the epithelia of oral mucosa, hair follicles, and nail beds (2). Pachyonychia congenital (PC) is characterized by hypertrophic nail dystrophy and associated ectodermal features. PC-1 subtype is associated with mutations in keratins 6a or 16, whereas PC-2 subtype is linked to mutations in keratins 6b or 17 (3).