title: Investigation of the corticotropin-releasing hormone-proopiomelanocortin axis in various skin tumours.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Various types of external stress cause the skin and central neuroendocrine system to express corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-proopiomelanocortin (POMC) axis-related hormones. However, the precise role of the CRH-POMC axis-related hormones in various skin tumours is unclear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study examined expression patterns of the CRH-POMC axis-related hormones in skin tumours.
  
  
  METHODS
  The production of CRH, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) in various tumour cell lines including HaCaT and primary keratinocytes was examined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Immunohistochemical analysis of the skin tumours was also performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CRH, ACTH and alpha-MSH were strongly expressed in malignant skin tumour cell lines such as G-361 and DX-3 (both malignant melanoma, MM). However, normal and haematological malignancy cell lines did not express the CRH-POMC axis-related hormones. Immunohistochemical analysis of the skin tumours showed that MM (80%), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC, 70%) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC, 10%) had strong immunoreactivity (++/+++) for CRH. Strong ACTH and alpha-MSH expression was observed in MM (70% and 50%, respectively), SCC (80% and 60%, respectively) and BCC (70% and 50%, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We report that an increase in the level of the CRH-POMC axis-related hormones is associated with malignant skin tumours such as MM. These results highlight the importance of the CRH-POMC axis-related hormones in the malignant tendency of skin tumours.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, St Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 62 Youido-dong, Youngdeunpo-gu, Seoul 150-713, Korea.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000378:metabolism; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin / Q000378:metabolism*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D000521:alpha-MSH / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D000521:alpha-MSH; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone