Type I keratins constitutes the Type I intermediate filaments (IFs) of the intracytoplasmatic cytoskeleton, which is present in all mammalian epithelial cells. Most of the type I keratins consist of acidic, low molecular weight protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

s which in vivo are arranged in pairs of heterotypic Type I and Type II keratin chains, coexpressed during differentiation of simple and stratified epithelial tissues.

Type I keratins are encoded on chromosome 17q and encompasses: K9, K10, K11, K12, K13, K14, K15, K16, K17, K18, K19 and K20. Their molecular weight ranges from 40 kDa (K19) to 64 kDa (K9).