Cytokeratins: Its role and expression profile in oral health and disease

ObjectiveThis article summarizes overview of cytokeratins in relation to fetal and adult epithelium along with their functional significance and characteristic expression patterns in tumors of head and neck.MethodsWe systematically reviewed all papers that were published in English using MEDLINE and the MeSH term “cytokeratins”.DiscussionCytokeratins consist of 20 biochemically and antigentically different polypeptides having molecular weights ranging from 40 kDa to 67 kDa with an isoelectric pH of 4.9–7.8. They are expressed in highly specific patterns related to the epithelial type and stage of cellular differentiation. Moreover with the emerging trend of immunohistochemistry technique, tumor diagnosis and characterization in surgical pathology have been emphasized by studying cytokeratin profile.