A recombinant fragment (within amino acids 400-564) of human KRT6 was used as the immunogen for the Cytokeratin 6 antibody. The immunogen sequence is common to forms A, B and C of the Cytokeratin 6 protein.
Cytokeratin 6 is an epidermis-specific type I keratin involved in wound healing. Involved in the activation of follicular keratinocytes after wounding, while it does not play a major role in keratinocyte proliferation or migration. This protein always paired with the type-I keratin K16. Cytokeratin 6 have been identified in epidermis only in samples from plantar glabrous skin while in hairy skin this keratin appeared to be absent in interfollicular epidermis but were clearly present in hair follicle outer root sheath, and this protein also consistently expressed in non-keratinizing stratified squamous epithelia. Among tumors, cytokeratin 6 is typically and strongly expressed in squamous cell carcinomas of different sites, preferentially in inner, maturing layers of the tumor cell nests. Cytokeratin 6 is always used with cytokeratin 5 and is a useful aid for classification of epithelioid mesotheliomas.
