title: Hepatocyte cytokeratin 7 expression in chronic allograft rejection.
abstract: We examined hepatocyte cytokeratin 7 (CK7) expression in chronic allograft rejection (CR), a ductopenic condition in which this has not been systematically evaluated, in 20 patients with the clinicopathologic diagnosis of CR and age-, sex-, and native-disease-matched control subjects. We also studied baseline biopsy specimens from both groups. Three pathologists independently reviewed H&E- and CK7-stained sections, counting interlobular bile ducts (BDs) and portal tracts (PTs), noting the morphologic pattern of injury and scoring hepatocyte CK7 expression (0, none; 1+, rare; 2+, multifocal, predominantly periportal; 3+, extension into the lobule; 4+, diffuse). Mean BD/PT ratios and CK7 scores were calculated. The mean BD/PT ratio (0.58) and CK7 score (1.01) for the "CR, diagnostic" group were significantly different from all other group means (P < .05); no other comparisons were significant (P > .05). A CK7 score of 1 or more was observed in 9 (56%) of 16 CR specimens and in 3 (7%) of 41 remaining specimens. Hepatocyte CK7 expression is frequently noted in CR, and it would appear to reflect ductopenia. CK7 staining may be a useful diagnostic adjunct in evaluation of transplant liver biopsy specimens.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bellizzi
authors.forename: Robin D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: LeGallo
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.forename: Julia C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Iezzoni
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D053552:Keratin-7 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D053552:Keratin-7