Creative Biolabs is one of the leading custom antibody generation and development providers. We specialize in the generation of antibodies against a wide range of targets for R&D, diagnostic, and therapeutic applications. Currently, we have launched a series of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) antibody & immunoassay development services targeting numerous diagnostic biomarkers of human diseases, such as cytokeratin 19 (CK19) as a potential marker of breast cancer.
CK19, also known as keratin-19, is encoded by the KRT19 gene and the protein molecular weight is about 40 kDa. CK19 is one of the members of the keratin family. The keratins are divided into cytokeratins and hair keratins. As intermediate filament proteins, the CKs (cytokeratins) contribute to the structural integrity of epithelium, cell signaling, stress response, and apoptosis. There are more than 20 CK members and consisted of two subtypes: acidic type I (CK9-CK20) and basic type II (CK1-CK8) keratins. These two different keratins form pairs of heterogeneous proteins to function. CK19 is a type I keratin and is the smallest cytokeratin expressed mostly in epithelial tissues with high plasticity such as stem cells, transforming cells, or tumorous cells. CK19 has been shown to have an increased expression in carcinogenesis of CK19-positive cancers from normal tissues to premalignant lesions to carcinoma in situ.
CK19 expression is increased in many epithelial tumors including breast cancer, papillary thyroid carcinoma, lung cancer, and colorectal carcinoma. Researchers have reported the diagnostic use of CK19 for different cancers. For instance, researchers examined CK19 expression in 22 follicular adenoma (FA), 18 well-differentiated tumors with undetermined malignant potential (WT-UMP), and 46 follicular variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma (FV-PTC) cases using immunohistochemical staining. They demonstrated that Ck19 was a useful marker in differentiating FA from FV-PTC. Also, it is reported the combination of CK19 with galectin-3 and Hector Battifora Mesothelial Epitope‑1 (HBME‑1) may improve the reliability of diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Besides, El Bastawisy et al. (2014) reported serum CK19 fragment was a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker for advanced lung cancer. In short, the detection of CK19 protein expression could help in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic monitoring.
Fig.1 Regulatory network of CK19.1
The detection of intracellular CK19 protein or serum CK19 levels should be achieved using IVD antibodies or immunoassays. At Creative Biolabs, we provide a full package of antibody and immunoassay development services to global clients. We have expertise in different immunoassay formats and detection methods, such as ELISA, immunohistochemistry, lateral flow assay, chemiluminescence, etc. For more detailed information about what we offer for each stage of the development process, please click the links below:
Please feel free to contact us for more information and discuss your project needs.
References
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