The Immunohistochemical Patterns of the beta-Catenin Expression in Pilomatricoma.
- Author:
Young Sik KIM
1
;
Dong Hoon SHIN
;
Jong Soo CHOI
;
Ki Hong KIM
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: beta-Catenin; Immunohistochemical stain; Pilomatricoma
- MeSH: beta Catenin; Cell Membrane; Cytoplasm; Hair; Membranes; Pilomatrixoma; Signal Transduction
- From:Annals of Dermatology 2010;22(3):284-289
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: BACKGROUND: Pilomatricoma is a benign follicular tumor that is composed of basaloid cells, transitional cells and shadow cells. beta-Catenin is a 92-kDa protein, and it plays important roles in cell-cell adhesion at the cell membrane and signal transduction in the nucleus. beta-Catenin has recently been shown to play an important role in the formation of hair follicle-related tumors, including pilomatricoma. However, the pattern and the intracellular localization of the beta-Catenin expression are still controversial. OBJECTIVE: We wanted to evaluate the pattern and the intracellular localization of the beta-Catenin expression in pilomatricoma by performing immunohistochemical staining. METHODS: Twenty-seven paraffin-embedded tissue samples that were diagnosed as pilomatricoma were immunohistochemically stained with beta-Catenin antibody. RESULTS: Basaloid cells were found 15 samples of the total 27 pilomatricomas. All (15/15) of the basaloid cells strongly expressed beta-Catenin, but the transitional cells and the shadow cells did not. In the basaloid cells, the nuclei and membranes showed prominent beta-Catenin immunoreactivities, but the cytoplasm showed weak beta-Catenin immunoreactivity. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that the nucleus and membrane of all the basaloid cells in the pilomatricomas showed a strong beta-Catenin expression, but the transitional cells and shadow cells showed negative beta-Catenin immunoreactivity.
