Stains & molecular markers
Cytokeratin 15 (CK15, K15)
Copyright: 2003-2021, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: CK15
Cytokeratin 15 (CK15, K15)
Author: Nat Pernick, M.D.
Topic Completed: 1 October 2013
Minor changes: 15 December 2020
Copyright: 2003-2021, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: CK15
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Uses by pathologists | Positive staining - normal | Positive staining - disease | Negative staining | Additional referencesCite this page: Pernick N. Cytokeratin 15 (CK15, K15). PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/stainsck15.html. Accessed January 19th, 2021.
Definition / general
- Molecular weight of 50 kDa
- Downregulated in activated keratinocytes in psoriasis, hypertrophic scars and skin injury (J Invest Dermatol 1999;112:362, Exp Cell Res 2000;254:80)
Uses by pathologists
- No significant clinical use by pathologists
Positive staining - normal
- Conjunctiva (basal cells) and cornea limbus epithelial cells (basal and suprabasal cells, Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2006;47:4780)
- Esophagus-Mol Cell Biol 2004;24:3168)
- Fetal epidermis and nail, hair follicle bulge and follicular stem cells (Clin Exp Dermatol 2006;31:807)
- Oral mucosa, skin-deep rete ridges (Differentiation 2004;72:387)
- Stratified epithelium-basal regions (cervix-Am J Pathol 1993;142:403)
Positive staining - disease
- Paget's disease-extramammary (small, compressed keratinocytes, Histopathology 2006;48:723)
- Sebaceomas (J Cutan Pathol 2006;33:634)
- Trichoepithelioma (63-100%, Eur J Dermatol 1999;9:363, J Cutan Pathol 1999;26:113)
Negative staining
- Cornea (central), sebaceous carcinomas and sebaceous neoplasms in Muir-Torre syndrome
Additional references
