title: Expression of bcl-2 and p53 in bovine cutaneous fibropapillomas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bovine cutaneous fibropapillomas are benign hyperproliferative lesions induced by Bovine Papillomaviruses (BPVs). Bcl-2 is an important anti-apoptotic protein which is expressed in several cancer types. In contrary, p53 is a tumour suppressor protein that mediates cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and senescence in response to cellular stresses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here, we investigated immunohistochemically and biochemically, the expression of bcl-2 and p53 in a subset of BPV positive fibropapillomas and bovine normal skin. Normal skin samples showed a weak signal for both proteins in the cytoplasm of the basal cells. Nine out of twelve (75%) tumour samples stained positive for bcl-2 throughout basal and parabasal layers, with most of cells showing strong cytoplasmic immunoreactivity. Nine out of twelve (75%) fibropapillomas were found to be positive for p53 expression, showing a strong cytoplasmic and perinuclear staining of p53 protein mainly in the basal and parabasal layers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data reveal an altered bcl-2 and p53 immunoreactivity in bovine cutaneous fibropapillomas, suggesting involvement of these two proteins in the cutaneous neoplastic transformation through an impaired apoptotic process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agriculture Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Ion Ionescu de la, Brad, Iasi, Romania.
authors.forename: Florentina
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bocaneti
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Via F. Delpino, 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Gennaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Altamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Via F. Delpino, 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Annunziata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corteggio
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agriculture Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Ion Ionescu de la, Brad, Iasi, Romania.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Velescu
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Via F. Delpino, 1, 80137 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Borzacchiello
keywords: Bovine papillomavirus; Cattle; Fibropapilloma