Submit a formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue

Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue block

FFPE tissue section mounted on a charged, unstained slide

Ambient (preferred)

• Unlabeled/mislabeled block
• Insufficient tissue
• Slides broken beyond repair

Immunohistochemical staining and microscopic examination

If requested, an interpretive report will be provided

Specifications

• Family of 20 different heterogenous proteins 40-70 kD NW
• All epithelial cells contain cytokeratins, but different types of epithelium contain different keratin profiles
• Low MW found in simple and glandular epithelium; High MW found in complex stratified epithelium
• CK cocktails cover the widest range of kD weights

 
Staining pattern

Cytoplasmic Anomalous CK expression:

• melanomas
• smooth muscle cells and smooth muscle tumors
• astrocytes and astro. tumors (glioblastoma multiforme)
• endothelial cells and angiosarcomas

When a routine CK is ordered, a cocktail of 3 different cytokeratins is automatically used: AE1-AE, CAM5.2 and CK18.

References

1. Moll et. al.; The Catalog of Human Cytokeratins: Patterns of Expression in Normal Epithelia, Tumors and Cultured Cells; Cell 31:11-24, 1982.