Summary
An investigation was undertaken of the keratin polypeptides of various benign and malignant tumors of the human skin and vaginal epithelium by one and two dimensional gel electrophoresis. The keratin patterns of benign tumors were found to be similar to the patterns of normal epithelium or stratum corneum. The relative proportion of stratum-corneum associated keratin polypeptides to those polypeptides characteristic for the living layers corresponds to morphological features (e.g., hyperkeratosis, acanthosis). In contrast to benign tumors, epithelial carcinomas totally lack the group of high-molecular-weight keratins. This finding may be helpful in the diagnostic discrimination between benign and malignant epithelial lesions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baden HP, Lee LD (1978) Fibrous protein of human epidermis. J Invest Dermatol 71:148–151
Baden HP (1979) Keratinization in the epidermis. Pharmacol Ther [B] 7:393–411
Balmain A (1976) The synthesis of specific protein in adult mouse epidermis during phases of proliferation and differentiation induced by the tumor promoter, TPA, and in basal and differentiating layers of neonatal mouse epidermis. J Invest Dermatol 67:246–253
Dallenbach-Hellweg G (1972) Die Tumoren der Vagina. In: Uehlinger E (ed) Handbuch der speziellen pathologischen Anatomie und Histologie, 7. Bd., 4. Teil. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 528–557
Doran TI, Vidrich A, Sun TT (1980) Intrinsic and extrinsic regulation of the differentiation of skin, corneal and esophageal epithelial cells. Cell 22:17–25
Franke WW, Appelhans B, Schmid E, Freudenstein C, Osborn M, Weber K (1979) Identification and characterization of epithelial cells in mammalian tissues by immunofluorescence microscopy using antibodies to prekeratin. Differentiation 15:7–25
Fuchs E, Green H (1978) The expression of keratin genes in epidermis and cultured epidermal cells. Cell 15:887–897
Fuchs E, Green H (1979) Multiple keratins of cultured human epidermal cells are translated from different mRNA molecules. Cell 17:573–582
Fuchs E, Green H (1980) Changes in keratin gene expression during terminal differentiation of the keratinocyte. Cell 19:1033–1042
Garrels JI, Gibson W (1976) Identification and characterization of multiple forms of actin. Cell 9:793–805
Gray HR (1972) Benign and malignant epithelial tumors. In: Graham JH, Johnson WC, Helwig EB (eds) Dermal pathology. Harper and Row, Hagerstown, MD, pp 533–559
Green H (1977) Terminal differentiation of cultured human epidermal cells. Cell 11:405–416
Jackson BW, Grund C, Schmid E, Bürki K, Franke WW, Illmensee K (1980) Formation of cytoskeletal elements during mouse embryogenesis. Differentiation 17:161–179
Kubilius J, Baden HP, McGilvray N (1980) Filamentous protein of basal cell epithelioma. JNCI 65:869–873
Laemmli UK (1970) Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of the bacteriophage T4. Nature 227:680–685
Lazarides E (1980) Intermediate filaments as mechanical integrators of cellular space. Nature 283:249–256
Löning T, Staquet MJ, Thivolet J, Seifert G (1980) Keratin polypeptides distribution in normal and diseased human epidermis and oral mucosa. Virchows Arch [Pathol Anat] 388:273–288
O'Farrell PH (1975) High resolution two-dimensional electrophoresis of protein. J Biol Chem 250:4007–4021
Schlegel R, Banks-Schlegel S, McLeod JA, Pinkus GS (1980) Immunoperoxidase localization of keratin in human neoplasms. Am J Pathol 101:41–49
Schweizer J, Goerttler K (1980) Synthesis in vitro of keratin polypeptides directed by mRNA isolated from newborn and adult mouse epidermis. Eur J Biochem 112:243–249
Schweizer J, Winter H (1982) Keratin polypeptide analysis in fetal and in terminally differentiating newborn mouse epidermis. Differentiation 22:19–24
Sun TT, Green H (1978) Keratin filaments of cultured human epidermal cells. J Biol Chem 253:2053–2060
Viac J, Staquet MJ, Thivolet J, Goujon C (1980) Experimental production of antibodies against stratum corneum keratin polypeptides. Arch Dermatol Res 267:179–188
Winter H, Schweizer J, Goerttler K (1980) Keratins as markers of malignancy in mouse epidermal tumors. Carcinogenesis 1:391–398
Winter H, Schweizer J (1981) Carcinoma-specific keratin polypeptide patterns in keratinizing epithelia of rodents: Independence of species- and tissue-specific variations. Carcinogenesis 2:613–621
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Winter, H., Schweizer, J. & Goerttler, K. Keratin polypeptide composition as a biochemical tool for the discrimination of benign and malignant epithelial lesions in man. Arch Dermatol Res 275, 27–34 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00516551
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00516551