KRT15
Chr 17keratin 15
Also known as: CK15, K15, K1CO
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. Most of the type I cytokeratins consist of acidic proteins which are arranged in pairs of heterotypic keratin chains and are clustered in a region on chromosome 17q21.2. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
Clinical Summary— KRT15
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Population Constraint (gnomAD)
Low constraint (pLI 0.00) — loss-of-function variants are relatively tolerated in the population.
Population Genetics & Constraint
gnomAD v4 — loss-of-function & missense intolerance
Tolerant — LoF & missense variants common in population
LoF Constraint?LOEUF (Loss-of-function Observed/Expected Upper bound Fraction) is the upper bound of the 90% CI for LoF OE — the preferred gnomAD v4 metric. Lower = more intolerant to LoF. LOEUF < 0.35 = highly constrained.
1.53LOEUF
pLI 0.000
Z-score -0.34
OE 1.08 (0.78–1.53)
Highly tolerant — LoF variants common in population
Missense Constraint?Missense Z-score: standard deviations fewer missense variants observed vs. expected. Z > 3.09 (p < 0.001) = gene does not tolerate missense variation. OE missense < 0.6 is also considered constrained.
-0.00Z-score
OE missense 1.00 (0.90–1.11)
268 obs / 268.0 exp
Tolerant to missense variation
Observed / Expected Ratios?Shaded band = 90% confidence interval. Vertical tick = point estimate. Grey threshold line = gnomAD constraint cutoff for that variant class.
LoF OE?Ratio of observed to expected LoF variants. Upper CI bound (LOEUF) ≤ 0.35 = strong LoF constraint signal.1.08 (0.78–1.53)
0≤0.351.4
Missense OE?Ratio of observed to expected missense variants. OE ≤ 0.6 = fewer missense variants than expected by chance.1.00 (0.90–1.11)
0≤0.61.4
Synonymous OE?Control metric — synonymous variants are largely neutral and expected near OE = 1.0. Significant deviation may indicate annotation issues.1.09
0≤1.21.6
LoF obs/exp: 23 / 21.3Missense obs/exp: 268 / 268.0Syn Z: -0.77
ClinVar Variant Classifications
0 submitted variants in ClinVar
Protein Context — Lollipop Plot
KRT15 · protein map & ClinVar variants
Showing all ClinVar variants across the protein. Search a specific variant to highlight its position.
OMIM — Genotype-Phenotype Relationships
1 OMIM entry
KERATIN 15, TYPE I; KRT15
MIM #148030 · *
External Resources
Links to major genomics databases and tools
Clinical Trials
Active and recruiting trials from ClinicalTrials.gov
No active trials found for this gene.
Search ClinicalTrials.gov →Clinical Literature
Landmark / reviewRecent case evidence
Key Publications
Landmark & review papers · by relevance
KRT15 in early breast cancer screening and correlation with HER2 positivity, pathological grade and N stage.
Zhang Z et al.·Biomark Med
2023
KRT15, INHBA, MATN3, and AGT are aberrantly methylated and differentially expressed in gastric cancer and associated with prognosis.
Zhang C et al.·Pathol Res Pract
2019
Epithelial differentiation of gingival mesenchymal stem cells enhances re-epithelialization for full-thickness cutaneous wound healing.
Li Y et al.·Stem Cell Res Ther
2024
Upregulated keratin 15 links to the occurrence of lymphovascular invasion, stromal cervical invasion as well as unfavorable survival profile in endometrial cancer patients.
Yang H et al.·Medicine (Baltimore)
2022Cohort
Clinical Implication of Keratin-15 Quantification for Renal Cell Carcinoma Management: Its Dysregulation and Association with Clinicopathologic Characteristics and Prognostication.
Zhang W et al.·Tohoku J Exp Med
2023
The role of estrogen receptor β in maintaining basal cells and modulating the immune environment in the prostate.
Wu WF et al.·Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
2025
Uncovering functional divergence and cellular clusters with specific gene signatures in HNSCC clonal spheroids.
Pandey J et al.·Cell Commun Signal
2025Functional
Top 10 resultsSearch PubMed ↗
Recent Gene-Specific Literature
Gene in title · MEDLINE · newest first
CCL20 secreted by KRT15high tumor Cells promotes tertiary lymphoid structure formation and enhances anti-PD-1 therapy response in HPV+HNSCC.
Zhang S et al.·Cell Death Dis
2025Open Access
Krt14 and Krt15 differentially regulate regenerative properties and differentiation potential of airway basal cells.
Ievlev V et al.·JCI Insight
2023Open Access
KRT15 promotes colorectal cancer cell migration and invasion through β-catenin/MMP-7 signaling pathway.
Chen W et al.·Med Oncol
2022
Low KRT15 expression is associated with poor prognosis in patients with breast invasive carcinoma.
Zhong P et al.·Exp Ther Med
2021Open AccessCohort
Top 5 resultsSearch Europe PMC ↗
Full-Text Mentions
NLP-detected gene mentions in article bodies · via PubTator3
Keratin 15 protects against cigarette smoke-induced epithelial mesenchymal transformation by MMP-9
Zhu W et al.·Respir Res
2023
Keratin-15 high expression links with lymph node metastasis and poor survival prognosis in epithelial ovarian cancer patients
Feng X et al.·Discov Oncol
2024Cohort
Human Umbilical Cord Lining-Derived Epithelial Cells: A Potential Source of Non-Native Epithelial Cells That Accelerate Healing in a Porcine Cutaneous Wound Model
Kua JEH et al.·Int J Mol Sci
2022Functional
High keratin 15 expression reflects favorable prognosis in early cervical cancer patients.
Zhou L et al.·Ir J Med Sci
2024Cohort
Top 4 full-text resultsSearch PubTator3 ↗
External Resources
Links to major genomics databases and tools