Immunohistochemical studies of amyloid P component distribution in normal human skin.

The distribution of amyloid P component (AP) in normal human skin was investigated by a light and electron microscopic immunoperoxidase technique, using antibodies to serum amyloid P component (SAP). AP, or an immunologically cross-reactive protein, was found to be specifically localized to the microfibrils of papillary oxytalan fibers and to the peripheral microfibrillar mantle surrounding the elastin core of mature elastic fibers in the reticular dermis; collagen fibers were not stained with anti-SAP. AP was not detected in the dermal-epidermal basement membrane or in the basement membranes surrounding dermal papillary blood vessels and eccrine structures. These findings, which establish the detailed distribution of normal tissue AP in the skin, provide a basis for further studies of the function and behavior of this protein in health and disease.