Kurzen Hjalmar, Münzing Ivonne, Hartschuh Wolfgang
Department of Dermatology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
J Cutan Pathol. 2003 Nov;30(10):621-30. doi: 10.1034/j.1600-0560.2003.00122.x.
Desmosomal proteins are well established markers of epithelial differentiation. Down-regulation of desmosomal proteins has been suggested to be a sign of reduced adhesiveness in metastasizing cells.
We examined actinic keratoses, Bowen's disease, and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin for the expression of desmosomal proteins using isoform-specific antibodies on paraffin-embedded sections. Evaluation was performed qualitatively in comparison to the epidermis and semiquantitatively using an area-intensity-score.
We found no qualitative correlation of desmoplakin or plakoglobin expression with risk of metastasis. Plakophilin 1, desmoglein 1, and the desmocollins 1-3 were found to be heterogeneously expressed in all neoplasms without significant correlation to aggressive tumor behavior. Plakophilin 2 was not expressed in any of the neoplasms examined. As most striking finding, desmoglein 2 was up-regulated qualitatively in half of all neoplasms examined and showed a significant higher proportion of positive cells in high-risk SCC than in low-risk SCC.
Desmosomal proteins are highly regulated in cutaneous SCC. Only desmoglein 2 expression correlates with risk of metastasis. Desmosomes may still be functional in metastasizing tumor cells.
桥粒蛋白是上皮分化的公认标志物。桥粒蛋白的下调被认为是转移细胞黏附性降低的一个标志。
我们使用异构体特异性抗体对石蜡包埋切片上的光化性角化病、鲍恩病和皮肤鳞状细胞癌(SCC)进行桥粒蛋白表达检测。与表皮相比进行定性评估,并使用面积强度评分进行半定量评估。
我们发现桥粒斑蛋白或桥粒珠蛋白的表达与转移风险无定性相关性。在所有肿瘤中均发现桥粒芯蛋白1、桥粒芯糖蛋白1以及桥粒黏附分子1 - 3呈异质性表达,与侵袭性肿瘤行为无显著相关性。在所检测的任何肿瘤中均未表达桥粒芯蛋白2。最显著的发现是,在所有检测的肿瘤中,半数肿瘤的桥粒芯糖蛋白2定性上调,且在高危SCC中阳性细胞比例显著高于低危SCC。
桥粒蛋白在皮肤SCC中受到高度调控。只有桥粒芯糖蛋白2的表达与转移风险相关。桥粒在转移肿瘤细胞中可能仍具有功能。