Keratin 18 pseudogene 20 (KRT18P20)

Keratin 18 pseudogene 20 (KRT18P20) is a human processed pseudogene belonging to the type I keratin (KRT) gene family, bearing sequence similarity to the coding gene for keratin 18 but lacking the ability to encode a functional protein. Keratin 18 itself is a cytoskeletal intermediate filament protein important in epithelial tissue structure and function, but KRT18P20 is one of many dispersed non-coding pseudogenes in the human genome. As with other keratin pseudogenes, KRT18P20 has no known biological function, therapeutic relevance, or disease association and is considered nonfunctional by current genetic nomenclature and consensus standards[5][7]. Clarifying context: - Keratin 18 is a well-characterized type I cytokeratin with roles in cell structure and function, and is sometimes used as a tumor biomarker[1][2][3][6]. - KRT18P20 is not the same as the protein-coding KRT18 gene. Instead, it is one of *many processed KRT18 pseudogenes*—which are "dispersed throughout the human genome" and "none of these contains an intact reading frame" and thus are "assumed to be nonfunctional"[5][7]. - KRT18P20 is not a drug target, receptor, or protein; it is a non-coding genomic element. There is no evidence for any disease role, biomarker utility, mechanism of action, drug interaction, or protein product for KRT18P20[5][7]. Summary judgment: - This entry is likely *inappropriate as a drug/biological target* and should not be catalogued as such[5][7]. - If a functional or therapeutic target is desired, refer instead to *Keratin 18 (KRT18)* rather than its pseudogene(s)[1][2][3][4][6]. Note: - The "is_incorrect" flag is set to *true* because there is a likely misunderstanding: pseudogenes like KRT18P20 are not considered molecular targets in pharmacology or biology—they lack protein product, function, or therapeutic utility[5][7].

Other names

KRT18P20