TABLE 1.
Summary of phenotypic characterization of primary epithelial cultures from the palatine tonsil
| Marker | Range of expression levelsa | Cells |
|---|---|---|
| Keratins | ||
| Pankeratins | +/++ | All |
| Keratin 19 | +/++ | Subset |
| Keratin 8/18 | + | Subset |
| Keratin 13 | + | Subset |
| Keratin 10 | − | None |
| Keratin 8 | + | Subset |
| Keratin 18 | + | Subset |
| Other | ||
| ESA | + | Majority |
| Involucrin | ++ | Subset |
| Fillagrin | − | None |
| CD21 | − | None |
a
+, clearly positive staining; ++, strong positive staining; −, no staining. Variable expression of specific keratins in subsets of cells indicates a heterogeneous population of epithelial cells derived from tonsil crypt and surface epithelium.