title: Possible involvement of keratinocyte growth factor and its receptor in enhanced epithelial-cell proliferation and acquired recurrence of middle-ear cholesteatoma.
abstract: Middle-ear cholesteatoma is characterized by enhanced proliferation of epithelial cells and granular tissue formation. However, the molecular mechanism underlying these pathological changes is largely unknown. Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) is a mesenchymal cell-derived paracrine growth factor that specifically stimulates epithelial cell proliferation. In the present study, we investigated the possible involvement of KGF and its receptor, KGFR, in the pathogenesis of cholesteatoma using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, respectively. We examined 56 cholesteatoma specimens, and 8 normal skin areas as control. KGF and KGFR expression was examined by immunohistochemistry using rabbit anti-human KGF and anti-human KGFR polyclonal antisera raised in our laboratories against synthetic peptides corresponding to parts of human KGF and KGFR, respectively. KGF protein and mRNA were detected exclusively in stromal fibroblasts and infiltrating T lymphocytes in 80% of cholesteatoma cases, whereas KGFR protein and mRNA were localized in the epithelium in 72% of cases. Assessment of the proliferative activity of cholesteatoma using the labeling index for Ki-67 showed a significantly higher Ki-67 labeling index (66%) in KGF+/KGFR+ cases than other cases. There was a significant correlation between KGF+/KGFR+ expression and recurrence. Our results indicate the possible involvement of both KGF and KGFR in enhanced epithelial cell proliferative activity and recurrence of cholesteatoma.
authors.affiliation: Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Translational Medical Science, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto-Fukuda
authors.forename: Daiyu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hishikawa
authors.forename: Toshimitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Takehiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koji
mesh_terms: D000918:Antibody Specificity; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology*; D018424:Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D051523:Fibroblast Growth Factor 7; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D051497:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2; D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C496453:FGF7 protein, human; D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor; D051523:Fibroblast Growth Factor 7; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D051497:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2; C065104:keratinocyte growth factor receptor