Krt16 - keratin 16

The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the keratin gene family. The keratins are intermediate filament proteins responsible for the structural integrity of epithelial cells and are subdivided into cytokeratins and hair keratins. The encoded protein is a cytokeratin and acts as an innate immune system effector, promoting the inflammatory response upon breach of the skin barrier. Defects in this gene are a cause of pachyonychia congenita. Two transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Sep 2015]