Table of Contents
Definition / general | Uses by pathologists | Positive staining - normal | Positive staining - disease | Positive staining - malignant | Negative staining | Additional referencesCite this page: Pernick N. Cytokeratin 16 (CK16, K16). PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/stainsck16.html. Accessed January 19th, 2021.
Definition / general
- Molecular weight of 48 kDa
- Paired with keratin 6
- Activated keratinocytes produce keratin 6, 16, 17, not normally present (Am J Pathol 1998;152:1133)
- Upregulated in benign keratinocyte hyperplasia, including psoriasis; prepsoriatic skin may be converted to a distinct adult tissue type resembling hard palate (J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc 2006;11:16)
- Also upregulated in stress incontinence in periurethral vaginal wall (Hum Reprod 2006;21:22), conjunctival epithelium in Sjogren’s syndrome (Exp Eye Res 2003;77:17)
- Downregulated in cervical squamous carcinoma (Virology 2005;331:269)
- Mutations are associated with pachyonychia congenita (Nat Genet 1995;9:273) and focal non-epidermolytic palmoplantar keratoderma (Hum Mol Genet 1995;4:1875)
Uses by pathologists
- No significant clinical use by pathologists
Positive staining - normal
- Esophagus
- Hair, nail and glands of epidermis
- Melanocytes (Am J Dermatopathol 2005;27:476)
Positive staining - disease
- Keratoderma of the palms (strong, Acta Dermatovenerol Croat Acta Dermatovenerol Croat 2005;13:206)
- Skin damage (suprabasal keratinocytes)
- Tympanic membrane-annular region (Acta Otolaryngol 1993;113:345)
Positive staining - malignant
- Breast-invasive (10%, Am J Pathol 1991;138:751)
- Squamous cell carcinoma in situ of skin-clear cell type (J Cutan Pathol 2007;34:226)
Negative staining
- Normal breast
Additional references