Expression of a glycoprotein of the carcinoembryonic antigen family in normal and neoplastic sebaceous glands. Limited role of carcinoembryonic antigen as a sweat gland marker.
BACKGROUND
Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a well-known marker for sweat gland differentiation in adnexal neoplasms.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine the expression of glycoproteins of the CEA family, that is, CEA-180, nonspecific cross-reacting antigens (NCAs), and biliary glycoprotein (BGP), in sebaceous glands and in neoplasms with sebaceous differentiation.


METHODS
Normal adult and fetal skin, hyperplasias, hamartomas, and neoplasms with sebaceous or follicular differentiation were stained immunohistochemically with a panel of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies highly specific for CEA-180, NCAs, and BGP. Double immunostaining was performed to correlate the CEA expression with that of epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), a glycoprotein consistently found in differentiating sebocytes.


RESULTS
Whereas sweat glands coexpressed CEA, NCAs, BGP, and EMA, sebaceous glands were exclusively labeled with the antibodies recognizing BGP or EMA. Staining of the sebaceous glands was restricted to mature sebocytes, sparing immature cells. At the ultrastructural level immunoreactivity for BGP and EMA was demonstrable in the golgi area, in small vesicles, and along the cell membranes. During fetal development BGP was not found until the sebaceous glands matured. The expression of BGP and EMA was highly conserved in reactive, hamartomatous, and neoplastic proliferations of adnexal structures with sebaceous differentiation.


CONCLUSIONS
The expression of BGP, a CEA glycoprotein, in differentiating sebocytes accounts for the reactivity of many anti-CEA antibodies with sebaceous glands and thus disqualifies the CEA family as a monospecific marker for sweat gland differentiation.
Metze
D
D
Department of Dermatology, University of Münster, Germany.
Soyer
H P
HP
Zelger
B
B
Neumaier
M
M
Grunert
F
F
Hartig
C
C
Amann
U
U
Bhardwaj
R
R
Wagener
C
C
Luger
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003429:Cross Reactions; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006222:Hamartoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D012626:Sebaceous Gland Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012627:Sebaceous Glands / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012867:Skin / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012868:Skin Abnormalities; D013545:Sweat Glands / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000648:ultrastructure
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015415:Biomarkers; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D006023:Glycoproteins; D018396:Mucin-1; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins