Epidermal growth factor receptors in genetically induced hyperproliferative skin disorders.

The presence and morphologic distribution of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) were investigated in a variety of genetic disorders that affect human epidermis. These diseases included various forms of ichthyoses as well as restrictive dermopathy and the CHILD syndrome (congenital hemidysplasia-ichthyosiform erythroderma-limb defects). The distribution of EGF-R was detected by immunohistochemical techniques. Increased staining of immunoreactive EGF-R was frequently, but not always, seen in lesions with experimental or clinical evidence of hyperproliferation, suggesting an increased potential to respond to endogenous levels of either transforming growth factor-alpha or EGF. The finding that EGF-R levels are not always increased in congenital epidermal disorders indicated that the presence of this receptor pathway is not simply a marker for aberrant epidermis.