Keratin 8 Variants are Associated with Cryptogenic Hepatitis

Hepatitis is defined as cryptogenic only after exclusion of all known etiologies. Cryptogenic hepatitis has a worldwide prevalence of 5–15% in patients with chronic liver disease and is a frequent indication for liver transplantation. Keratin 8 (K8) and 18 (K18) are the cytoskeletal intermediate filament proteins of adult hepatocytes, and murine models indicate that mutations in the encoding genes predispose to liver disease. Moreover, numerous studies showed an association of K8/K18 variants with human acute and chronic liver disease. However, there is only little known about a putative association of K8/K18 va…