title: Apoptosis is the mode of keratinocyte death in cutaneous graft-versus-host disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Satellite cell necrosis is a histopathologic hallmark of cutaneous graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Although this interaction of lymphocytes with keratinocytes has features of immune cytolytic destruction, the details of the process are not known.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our purpose was to investigate whether apoptosis is involved in the process of GVHD.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) technique with biotinylated nucleotides. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections from skin biopsy specimens of patients with GVHD and normal skin were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Labeling of scattered individual keratinocytes in the epidermis and adnexal epithelium undergoing cytolytic degeneration and a proportion of the adjacent lymphocytes was noted in all specimens of GVHD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The positive staining of keratinocytes by the TUNEL method indicates that cell destruction in cutaneous GVHD involves apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Langley
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nevill
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rowden
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D016923:Cell Death; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D004817:Epidermis / Q000473:pathology; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009336:Necrosis; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous