# KRT18

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/krt18/  
OnCo record `krt18` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

KRT18 (Keratin, type I cytoskeletal 18) is a gene. The public catalogues list it as a biomarker, and clinical evidence ties its variants to diagnosis, prognosis or drug response. Tied to Prostate cancer.

## Summary

Structural component of intermediate filaments in simple epithelial cells. Forms intermediate filaments by heterodimerising with the type II keratin KRT8, providing mechanical stability and resilience to epithelial cells. Involved in ARHGEF40-mediated actin stress fibre formation and tensional force-induced stress fibre formation and reinforcement.

CIViC holds 1 clinical evidence item and 0 assertions across 1 variant.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-23
- Also known as: keratin 18; Keratin, type I cytoskeletal 18
- Tags: cancer-genes-wave
- Symbol: KRT18
- Class: other
- Biology: Structural component of intermediate filaments in simple epithelial cells. Forms intermediate filaments by heterodimerising with the type II keratin KRT8, providing mechanical stability and resilience to epithelial cells. Involved in ARHGEF40-mediated actin stress fibre formation and tensional force-induced stress fibre formation and reinforcement. Integrates into the intermediate filament network of skeletal muscle fibres alongside desmin and KRT19, contributing to force transmission. Organisation and orientation of KRT8/KRT18 filaments are responsible for the properly elongated morphology of epithelial tubules. Also acts downstream of ROCK kinase activation as part of a positive feedback mechanism in response to cellular mechanical stress loading. Location: Nucleus matrix; Cytoplasm, perinuclear region; Nucleus, nucleolus; Cytoplasm (UniProt). Locus 12q13.13 (HGNC).
- Where found: Prostate cancer: CIViC evidence names this disease

## Notes

- Written by scripts/fetch-cancer-genes.ts from CIViC, Open Targets, IntOGen, HGNC and UniProt; the function text is UniProt's, condensed and in UK spelling. Roles: CIViC holds 1 clinical evidence items on its variants. Evidence tier "clinical-evidence" is the strongest of those signals.
- Prevalence not recorded: none of the sources gives a positivity rate.

## Sources

- HGNC HGNC:6430: https://www.genenames.org/data/gene-symbol-report/#!/hgnc_id/HGNC:6430
- UniProt P05783: https://www.uniprot.org/uniprotkb/P05783/entry
- NCBI Gene 3875: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3875
- Ensembl ENSG00000111057: https://www.ensembl.org/Homo_sapiens/Gene/Summary?g=ENSG00000111057

## Connected records

- collections: [CIViC](https://onco.cc/collections/civic/)
- cancers: [Prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/krt18.json