Skip to main content
PMC home page
The American Journal of Pathology logoLink to The American Journal of Pathology
. 1992 Mar;140(3):601–612.

Basal-cell keratins in cervical reserve cells and a comparison to their expression in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

F Smedts 1, F Ramaekers 1, S Troyanovsky 1, M Pruszczynski 1, H Robben 1, B Lane 1, I Leigh 1, F Plantema 1, P Vooijs 1
PMCID: PMC1886162  PMID: 1372156

Abstract

Expression of keratins 5, 14 and 17 in endocervical subcolumnar reserve cells was detected by means of immunohistochemical studies using polypeptide specific monoclonal antibodies. These particular keratins that were found among others in basal cells could also be detected to a variable extent in metaplastic and dysplastic cervical lesions. In some cases of immature squamous metaplasia all three keratin subtypes were expressed throughout the full thickness of the epithelium. In contrast, in mature squamous metaplasia a compartmentalization of these keratins was observed. Mature squamous metaplastic epithelium showed a keratin distribution pattern comparable to ectocervical squamous epithelium, with the exception of keratin 17, which was only sporadically found in the basal layer of ectocervical epithelium and was always present in the basal cells of mature squamous metaplastic epithelium. During progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia a clear increase in the expression of keratin 17 was observed. However, also keratins 5 and 14 were expressed. Our results demonstrate that a considerable number of premalignant lesions of the uterine cervix express the same keratins as found in the progenitor reserve cells. Lesions that lack expression of keratin 17 may form a distinct group, which are regressive in nature and do not progress into cervical cancer.

Full text

PDF
601

Images in this article

604Figure 1
on p.604
607Figure 3
on p.607
608Figure 4
on p.608
610Figure 5
on p.610

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bobrow L. G., Makin C. A., Law S., Bodmer W. F. Expression of low molecular weight cytokeratin proteins in cervical neoplasia. J Pathol. 1986 Feb;148(2):135–140. doi: 10.1002/path.1711480203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Gigi-Leitner O., Geiger B., Levy R., Czernobilsky B. Cytokeratin expression in squamous metaplasia of the human uterine cervix. Differentiation. 1986;31(3):191–205. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-0436.1986.tb00400.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Ivanyi D., Groeneveld E., Van Doornewaard G., Mooi W. J., Hageman P. C. Keratin subtypes in carcinomas of the uterine cervix: implications for histogenesis and differential diagnosis. Cancer Res. 1990 Aug 15;50(16):5143–5152. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Lane E. B., Bártek J., Purkis P. E., Leigh I. M. Keratin antigens in differentiating skin. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1985;455:241–258. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1985.tb50415.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Levy R., Czernobilsky B., Geiger B. Subtyping of epithelial cells of normal and metaplastic human uterine cervix, using polypeptide-specific cytokeratin antibodies. Differentiation. 1988 Dec;39(3):185–196. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-0436.1988.tb00093.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Minh H. N., Lecomte D., Smadja A., Orcel L., Coupez F. A hypothesis on the origin of the subcylindrical reserve cells of the endocervix. Pathol Res Pract. 1981 Jul;172(1-2):88–98. doi: 10.1016/S0344-0338(81)80125-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Moll R., Dhouailly D., Sun T. T. Expression of keratin 5 as a distinctive feature of epithelial and biphasic mesotheliomas. An immunohistochemical study using monoclonal antibody AE14. Virchows Arch B Cell Pathol Incl Mol Pathol. 1989;58(2):129–145. doi: 10.1007/BF02890064. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Moll R., Schiller D. L., Franke W. W. Identification of protein IT of the intestinal cytoskeleton as a novel type I cytokeratin with unusual properties and expression patterns. J Cell Biol. 1990 Aug;111(2):567–580. doi: 10.1083/jcb.111.2.567. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Purkis P. E., Steel J. B., Mackenzie I. C., Nathrath W. B., Leigh I. M., Lane E. B. Antibody markers of basal cells in complex epithelia. J Cell Sci. 1990 Sep;97(Pt 1):39–50. doi: 10.1242/jcs.97.1.39. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Puts J. J., Moesker O., Kenemans P., Vooijs G. P., Ramaekers F. C. Expression of cytokeratins in early neoplastic epithelial lesions of the uterine cervix. Int J Gynecol Pathol. 1985;4(4):300–313. doi: 10.1097/00004347-198512000-00003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Ramaekers F. C., Pruszczynski M., Smedts F. Cytokeratins in smooth muscle cells and smooth muscle tumours. Histopathology. 1988 May;12(5):558–561. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.1988.tb01979.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Ramaekers F., van Niekerk C., Poels L., Schaafsma E., Huijsmans A., Robben H., Schaart G., Vooijs P. Use of monoclonal antibodies to keratin 7 in the differential diagnosis of adenocarcinomas. Am J Pathol. 1990 Mar;136(3):641–655. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Schaafsma H. E., Ramaekers F. C., van Muijen G. N., Lane E. B., Leigh I. M., Robben H., Huijsmans A., Ooms E. C., Ruiter D. J. Distribution of cytokeratin polypeptides in human transitional cell carcinomas, with special emphasis on changing expression patterns during tumor progression. Am J Pathol. 1990 Feb;136(2):329–343. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Smedts F., Ramaekers F., Robben H., Pruszczynski M., van Muijen G., Lane B., Leigh I., Vooijs P. Changing patterns of keratin expression during progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Am J Pathol. 1990 Mar;136(3):657–668. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Troyanovsky S. M., Guelstein V. I., Tchipysheva T. A., Krutovskikh V. A., Bannikov G. A. Patterns of expression of keratin 17 in human epithelia: dependency on cell position. J Cell Sci. 1989 Jul;93(Pt 3):419–426. doi: 10.1242/jcs.93.3.419. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Wetzels R. H., Kuijpers H. J., Lane E. B., Leigh I. M., Troyanovsky S. M., Holland R., van Haelst U. J., Ramaekers F. C. Basal cell-specific and hyperproliferation-related keratins in human breast cancer. Am J Pathol. 1991 Mar;138(3):751–763. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Whittaker J. R., Samy A. M., Sunter J. P., Sinha D. P., Monaghan J. M. Cytokeratin expression in cervical epithelium: an immunohistological study of normal, wart virus-infected and neoplastic tissue. Histopathology. 1989 Feb;14(2):151–160. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.1989.tb02125.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The American Journal of Pathology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Investigative Pathology

RESOURCES