Pan Cytokeratin Antibody for IF / Cytokeratin Immunofluorescence Antibody [clone Cocktail PAN-CK] (V3070)

Description

Cytokeratins are a major class of intermediate filament proteins that form an extensive cytoskeletal network within epithelial cells, where they provide mechanical stability, maintain cell shape, and support tissue integrity. These proteins are divided into type I acidic keratins and type II basic keratins, which heterodimerize to assemble filamentous structures that span the cytoplasm. Because epithelial cells express distinct combinations of cytokeratin isoforms depending on tissue type and differentiation state, visualization of cytokeratin filaments provides a direct and highly informative readout of epithelial identity and cellular organization.

Pan Cytokeratin Antibody for IF / Cytokeratin Immunofluorescence Antibody (clone PAN-CK) is designed for broad detection of epithelial cytokeratin proteins in fluorescence-based applications, enabling high-resolution visualization of the epithelial cytoskeletal network. This mouse monoclonal antibody cocktail recognizes a wide range of type I and type II cytokeratins, including CK1, CK3, CK4, CK5, CK6, CK7, CK8, CK10, CK13, CK14, CK15, CK16, CK17, CK18, and CK19, providing comprehensive epithelial labeling across diverse cell types. Pan cytokeratin antibody, also referred to as cytokeratin cocktail antibody or CK pan antibody, is particularly valuable in immunofluorescence applications where detailed visualization of epithelial structure is required.

In immunofluorescence staining, cytokeratin proteins produce a characteristic filamentous cytoplasmic pattern that reflects the organization of intermediate filaments within epithelial cells. This network extends throughout the cytoplasm and outlines cell boundaries, allowing clear visualization of cell shape, polarity, and structural organization. The PAN-CK clone enables consistent labeling of these filament systems, making it well suited for imaging epithelial cells in cultured systems and fluorescence-based tissue analysis.

Fluorescence-based detection of cytokeratins is especially powerful for co-localization and multiplex imaging studies, where epithelial cells must be distinguished from surrounding stromal, endothelial, or immune cell populations. By combining cytokeratin staining with additional fluorescent markers, researchers can define epithelial compartments within complex biological systems and analyze cellular interactions with high spatial resolution. This capability is particularly important in studies examining tissue organization, tumor microenvironments, and epithelial cell behavior.

The broad reactivity of the PAN-CK antibody cocktail ensures robust detection across multiple epithelial cell types, providing a comprehensive view of epithelial distribution without restriction to a single keratin isoform. This distinguishes pan cytokeratin antibodies from isoform-specific keratin reagents, which are designed to identify particular epithelial subtypes. In contrast, pan cytokeratin immunofluorescence staining is optimized for inclusive epithelial visualization, making it an effective first-line approach for identifying epithelial cells in heterogeneous samples.

In cultured epithelial cells, cytokeratin staining reveals an organized filament network that supports cell morphology and structural stability, often appearing as interconnected filament bundles extending throughout the cytoplasm. In fluorescence imaging studies, this pattern provides enhanced spatial resolution compared to chromogenic methods and enables detailed analysis of subcellular organization. The compatibility of immunofluorescence with confocal microscopy further supports high-resolution imaging of epithelial cytoskeletal architecture.

The mouse monoclonal cocktail format of clone PAN-CK provides consistent recognition of multiple cytokeratin proteins, ensuring reproducible staining across experimental conditions. This combination of broad epithelial coverage and distinct filamentous staining pattern supports reliable identification and visualization of epithelial cells in immunofluorescence applications.

Pan Cytokeratin Antibody for immunofluorescence therefore provides a powerful tool for high-resolution visualization of epithelial cell structure, enabling detailed analysis of cytoskeletal organization, cell morphology, and epithelial distribution in fluorescence-based imaging studies.

This antibody is part of our Pan Cytokeratin Antibody collection, which enables broad epithelial detection across normal and cancer tissues.

Application Notes

Optimal dilution of the Pan Cytokeratin Antibody for IF / Cytokeratin Immunofluorescence Antibody should be determined by the researcher.

1. Staining of formalin-fixed tissues requires boiling tissue sections in 10mM Citrate buffer, pH 6.0, for 10-20 min followed by cooling at RT for 20 min.
2. The prediluted format is supplied in a dropper bottle and is optimized for use in IHC. After epitope retrieval step (if required), drip mAb solution onto the tissue section and incubate at RT for 30 min.

Immunogen

Human epidermal keratin was used as the immunogen for the pan Cytokeratin antibody cocktail.

Storage

Store the pan Cytokeratin antibody cocktail at 2-8oC (with azide) or aliquot and store at -20oC or colder (without azide).

Alternate Names

Pan cytokeratin IF antibody, cytokeratin cocktail IF antibody, epithelial marker immunofluorescence antibody, CK pan fluorescence antibody, cytokeratin staining antibody