title: Expression of hard alpha-keratins in pilomatrixoma, craniopharyngioma, and calcifying odontogenic cyst.
abstract: To examine the properties of shadow and ghost cells, 3 kinds of antibodies were raised against human hair proteins and their immunoreactivity was examined in tumors expressing those cells: pilomatrixoma, 14 cases; craniopharyngioma, 17 cases; and calcifying odontogenic cyst (COC), 14 cases. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analyses demonstrated that 2 polyclonal antibodies, PA-HP1 and PA-HP 2, reacted strongly with type I acidic and type II neutral/basic hard alpha-keratins. The other monoclonal antibody, MA-HP1, reacted with type II neutral/basic hard alpha-keratins. Immunohistochemical examination revealed that all 3 antibodies reacted only with the hair shaft in sections of normal skin and dermoid cyst. In all pilomatrixoma cases, 3 antibodies reacted with the cytoplasm of transitional and shadow cells but not with that of basophilic cells. Positive reactions were found only in shadow cells of all 13 adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas. In all COCs, the antibodies reacted only with ghost cells, not with other epithelial components. Immunoreactivity for phosphothreonine, detected in hard alpha-keratins, also was found in transitional, shadow, and ghost cells. The appearance of shadow or ghost cells might represent differentiation into hair in these 3 kinds of tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Meikai University School of Dentistry, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kusama
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Katayama
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oba
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishige
authors.forename: Yumiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kebusa
authors.forename: Jiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Okazawa
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.forename: Atsuo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003397:Craniopharyngioma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry; D006201:Hair Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006825:Hybridomas; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007573:Jaw Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007633:Keratins / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018333:Odontogenic Cyst, Calcifying / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018296:Pilomatrixoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D007633:Keratins