Yonsei Med J.  2002 Jun;43(3):304-308. 10.3349/ymj.2002.43.3.304.

Expression of CD40 and Fas Ligand in Bowen's Disease, Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Basal Cell Carcinoma

• Jang TJ

• KMID: 1105098
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2002.43.3.304

Abstract

Impaired regulation of apoptosis is known to be associated with the development of various cancers, and Fas/Fas-ligand (FasL) is known to play an important role in apoptosis. CD40 is a cell surface receptor, which when ligated modulates apoptosis in some cell types. The expressions of CD40 and FasL were examined in 10 normal skins, 7 Bowen's disease skins, 10 squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and 12 basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) immunohistochemically. In the normal epidermis, CD40 was more highly expressed in the keratinocytes of the squamous cell and granular layers than in those of the basal layer, and FasL expression was observed in the cell membrane of keratinocytes at the basal and squamous cell layers. CD40 expression was significantly higher in SCCs than in normal or Bowen's disease skin, while FasL expression was significantly higher in Bowen's disease than in SCCs. BCCs expressed the lowest levels of CD40 and FasL. These results suggest that altered CD40 and FasL expression may be related with the progression of SCC, and the marked reduced expression of CD40 and FasL may explain the biologic behavior of BCCs.

Keyword

CD40; FasL; Bowen's disease; squamous cell carcinoma; basal cell carcinoma

MeSH Terms

Antigens, CD40/*metabolism
Bowen's Disease/*metabolism
Carcinoma, Basal Cell/*metabolism
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/*metabolism
Human
Membrane Glycoproteins/*metabolism
Reference Values
Skin/metabolism
Skin Neoplasms/*metabolism