title: CD99 Is Strongly Expressed in Basal Cells of the Normal Adult Epidermis and Some Subpopulations of Appendages: Comparison with Developing Fetal Skin.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  CD99 is a cell surface transmembrane glycoprotein expressed in various tissues. CD99 is differentially expressed between subpopulations of each tissue and is highly expressed in certain hematopoietic and precursor cells. However, there has been no comprehensive study of CD99 expression in normal skin. We evaluated CD99 expression in normal human skin and developing fetal skin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-five adult skin samples containing normal skin and eight fetal skin samples of different gestational ages were collected. CD99 immunohistochemical staining was performed to evaluate expression pattern in adult and fetal skin samples. CD99 and CD34 expression were compared by double immunofluorescence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In normal adult skin, CD99 was strongly expressed in the membrane of epidermal basal keratinocytes, hair follicle bulges and outer root sheaths, and inner secretory cells of eccrine sweat glands. In fetal skin, CD99 was not expressed on the periderm at 16 weeks of gestation but was expressed in basal cells of fetal skin at around 19 weeks of gestation. CD99 expression became comparable to that of the adult skin after 20 weeks of gestation. CD99 and CD34 were co-expressed in hair follicle outer root sheaths, as seen by double immunofluorescence study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study examining CD99 expression pattern in normal adult and fetal skin. CD99 tends to be expressed in the basal/precursor cells of epidermis and in hair follicles. These results provide a basis for future investigation on functions of CD99 in the skin and provide a novel potential target for the treatment of dermatologic lesions.
authors: Graduate School of Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.|Mizmedi Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Gawon
authors: G
authors: Choi
authors: Department of Pathology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Jin
authors: J
authors: Roh
authors: Department of Pathology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Chan-Sik
authors: CS
authors: Park
keywords: CD99 protein; Immunohistochemistry; Skin