ISSN:
0730-2312
Keywords:
stratified epithelia
;
carcinomas
;
cell differentiation
;
gene expression
;
keratinocytes
;
Life and Medical Sciences
;
Cell & Developmental Biology
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Zinc-α2-glycoprotein (Znα2gp) is almost ubiquitous in body fluids, and its antibody labels the corresponding secretory epithelia. We have found that Znα2gp is also expressed in human epidermis. We cloned the Znα2gp cDNA by screening our cDNA library, derived from epidermal keratinocytes, with a probe for prostate Znα2gp. It had complete nucleic acid sequence homology with that from prostate, including the signal peptide. Just as Znα2gp expression is higher in more differentiated breast tumors, so in skin tumors the highest mRNA levels occurred in the normal controls, the lowest in basal cell carcinomas (the least differentiated epidermal tumor type), and intermediate levels in squamous cell carcinomas and Merkel cell carcinomas. A similar increase in Znα2gp gene expression with differentiation was observed when epidermal keratinocytes were cultured in media that varied in cellular maturation potential. J. Cell. Biochem. 67:216-222, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Additional Material:
5 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
