CK8 knockout mice in one strain died around embryonic day 12 from undetermined tissue damage18, whereas in a different strain, homozygous CK8 FVB/N mice were shown to develop colonic hyperplasia, colitis, rectal prolapse19 and spontaneous chronic T helper type 2 colitis, but these phenotypes are largely absent from CK8+/− mice20. Here, KRT8 is linked to colitis.