KRT20
Overview
KRT20 (Keratin 20) encodes a type I intermediate filament protein expressed in mature gastrointestinal epithelial cells and umbrella cells of the urothelium. In bladder cancer, KRT20 is a defining marker of umbrella-cell-like differentiation within the luminal mRNA subtype of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).
Alterations observed in the corpus
- Highest expression in the new luminal MIBC subtype (6% of 412 tumors, TCGA BLCA 2017), alongside UPK1A, UPK2, and SNX31, suggesting umbrella-cell-like differentiation. PMID:28988769
Cancer types (linked)
- Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma (BLCA): KRT20 is among the umbrella-cell differentiation markers most highly expressed in the luminal MIBC subtype; useful for subtype assignment in future clinical assays. PMID:28988769
Co-occurrence and mutual exclusivity
Therapeutic relevance
- No direct targeted therapy against KRT20 is reported in this corpus. As a luminal subtype marker, KRT20 expression patterns may inform subtype-stratified therapeutic decisions (e.g., FGFR3-targeted therapy for luminal-papillary tumors). PMID:28988769
Open questions
- Optimal therapeutic strategies for the luminal MIBC subtype (defined in part by KRT20 expression) are not yet established; comparison of neoadjuvant chemotherapy vs mutation-targeted therapy is proposed for future trials. PMID:28988769
Sources
This page was processed by crosslinker on 2026-05-15.