An immunohistochemical study of tubulin expression in skin tumors

Kim, Kyung Jin; Chung, Byoung Soo; Choi, Kyu Chul

Abstract

Using immunohistochemical methods, the authors investigated the distribution of tubulin in normal skin and 31 skin tumors, including 11 benign skin tumors and 20 malignant skin tumors, In normal skin, tubulin was strongly expressed in basal cells of the epidermis, sebaceus celis and dermal nerves. Myoepithelial cells, ductalI cells of sveat ducts and outer root sheath cells of hair follicles stained moderat,ely. Lermal fi broblasts showed no staining. In benign tumors including keratoacanthoma, trichoepithelioma, and nevocellular nevus the strornal fibroblast.s were entirely tubulin negative as well as the turnor cells. In basal cell carcinoma, the stromal fibroblasts were negative',whereas tumor cells were weakly positive. In squarnous cell carcinoma(SCC), tumor cells weri, tubulin positive weakly, the degree of tubulin expression of its stroma1 fibroblasts tencied to be in proportional to the grade of malignanr.u. Tumor cells of malignant melanoma and nevocellular nevus were tubulin positive moderately bist the stromal fibrobla.sts were strongly positive only in the cases of malignant melanoma. These results show that the degree of the tubulin; expression in adjacent, stromal cells of epidermal tumors is in proportiona.l to that of their malignancy, These suggest that the expression of tubulin in fibroblasts surrounding tumor cells of malignant melanoma and SCC reflects a stromal alt,eration that might contribute to tumor in vasion, and play a role for cellular motility.