To evaluate the clinical significance of autoantibodies to three major epithelial cytokeratins (CK) -- CK8, CK18, and CK19 -- we compared 66 patients with toluene diisocyanate (TDI)-induced asthma (group I) with three control groups: 169 asymptomatic exposed subjects (group II), 64 patients with allergic asthma (group III), and 123 unexposed healthy subjects (group IV). Serum IgG, specific for human recombinant CKs, were measured by ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay), and ELISA inhibition tests were performed. The existence of these antibodies was confirmed by IgG immunoblot analysis. Anti-TDI-HSA (human serum albumin) IgE and IgG antibodies were measured by ELISA in the same set of the patients. The prevalence of CK8, CK18, and CK19 auotantibodies in group I was significantly higher than in the other three groups. Results of the ELISA inhibition test showed significant inhibition with the addition of three CKs in a dose-dependent manner. No significant association was found between CK autoantibodies and the prevalence of anti- TDI-HSA IgG and IgE antibodies. These results suggest that autoantibodies to CK18 and CK19 can be used as serologic markers for identifying patients with TDI-induced asthma among exposed workers.
Toluene 2,4-Diisocyanate/*toxicity ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Occupational Diseases/chemically induced/*diagnosis ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Keratins/*immunology ; Keratin-8/immunology ; Keratin-19/immunology ; Keratin-18/immunology ; Immunoblotting ; Humans ; Female ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Biological Markers/blood ; Autoantibodies/*blood ; Asthma/chemically induced/*diagnosis ; Adult

Roughly 1% of mature cystic teratomas undergo malignant transformation. In particular, cutaneous-type adnexal neoplasms may occur in mature cystic teratomas. Sebaceous carcinomas, which arise from mature cystic teratomas, have rarely been observed, with only seven cases previously reported. Here, we present a case of a 69-year-old female who had pelvic pain for two weeks and who subsequently underwent bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and hysterectomy. Her left ovary showed a unilocular cyst, measuring 22.0 cm in diameter, filled with sebaceous material and a few hairs. A luminally-protruding solid mass measuring 4.0 cm in diameter was also noted. Microscopic findings revealed lobular or diffusely arranged basophilic, atypical sebaceous cells connected to a typical mature cystic teratoma. Tumor cells demonstrated positive immunoreactivity for high molecular weight cytokeratin, cytokeratin 7, cytokeratin 19, epithelial membrane antigen, and carcinoembryonic antigen. Here, we present a case of sebaceous carcinoma arising from a mature cystic teratoma along with a review of previously published reports.
Basophils ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Female ; Hair ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Keratin-19 ; Keratin-7 ; Keratins ; Molecular Weight ; Mucin-1 ; Ovary ; Pelvic Pain ; Teratoma

PURPOSE: the most important biological behavior of breast cancer is its invasive potential and many efforts was made to reveal the factors related with the invasiveness of breast cancer cells. Some researchers reported that intermediate filament biology could represent an emerging and exciting field in tumor biology with respect to tumor aggressiveness and invasiveness. There are some experimental evidences that co-expression of vimentin, a interfilament marker indicative of mesenchymal lineage, and cytokeratin interfilaments can be correlated with invasiveness and metastatic deposits. So, we tried to determine the role of intermediate filaments such as cytokeratins and vimentin with respect of bone marrow micrometastases. METHODS: Expression of cytokeratins 8, 18, 19 and viementin were immunohistochemically evaluated. Detection of bone marrow micrometastases was preformed through RT-PCR targeting mRNA of cytokeratin 19. In order to compare the study group by the expression extent of cytokeratins, the case expressing 50% or more of observed cells was classified into the case with high expression and the case expressing 49% or less was classified into the case with low expression. RESULTS: The only cytokeratin of high expression representing the risk of bone marrow micrometastases was cytokeratin 8. Vimentin expression by itself did not show any significance indicating bone marrow micrometastases. However, The cases possesing cytokeratin 8, 18, and 19 expression, altogether 75% or more showed a significantly high risk to bone marrow micrometastases. In that cases, addition of vimentin expression allowed a more higher possibility of bone marrow micrometastases. CONCLUSION: A high expression of cytokeratin 8 among cytokeratins was related with bone marrow metastases. However, vimentin expression by itself did not show any realtionship with bone marrow metastases. So, a further study is needed in order to reveal the role of vimentin expression in progression and metastases of breast cancer.
Biology ; Bone Marrow ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Intermediate Filaments ; Keratin-19 ; Keratin-8 ; Keratins ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Neoplasm Micrometastasis ; RNA, Messenger ; Vimentin*

OBJECTIVE: Comparison of protein expressions by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) in normal cervix and squamous cell carcinoma tissues in Korean women. METHODS: Normal cervix and squamous cell carcinoma tissues were solubilized with 2-DE buffer and the first dimension of PROTEAN IEF CELL, isoelectric focusing (IEF), was performed using pH3-10 linear IPG strips of 17 cm. And then running 12% sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and sliver stain. Scanned image was analyzed using PDQuest 2-D softwareTM. Protein spot spectrum was identified by assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of fighting (MALDI-TOF) and the protein mass spectrum identifications were performed by searching protein databases of Swiss-prot/TrEMBL, Mascot and MS-FIT. RESULTS: We found 9 up-regulation proteins (Alpha enolase, Keratin 19 type I, Keratin 20 type I, Keratin 13 type I, beta-actin, Aflatoxin B1 aldehyde reductase 1, Annexin A2, Squamous cell carcinoma antigen 2, unknown), 7 down-reguation proteins (Annexin 1, Myosin regulatory light chain 2, 14-3-3 protein epsilon, Heat shock 27 kDa protein, Hypothetical protein (DKFZP434C1715), Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 13B, Smoth muscle protein 22-alpha) and 6 up and down-regulation proteins (Tropomyosin 1, Tropomyosin 2, Tropomyosin 3, Serine (or cysteine) proteinase inhibitor, Phosphatidylinositol transfer protein alpha isoform, Src homology 3 domain-containing protein HIP-55) between normal cervix and squamous cell carcinoma cell tissues. CONCLUSION: 2-DE offers total protein expressions between normal cervix and squamous cell carcinoma cell tissues, and searching of differently expressed protein for the diagnostic markers of squamous cell carcinoma tissue.
14-3-3 Proteins ; Actins ; Aflatoxin B1 ; Aldehyde Reductase ; Annexin A2 ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cervix Uteri ; Databases, Protein ; Down-Regulation ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional* ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Female ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Isoelectric Focusing ; Keratin-13 ; Keratin-19 ; Keratin-20 ; Mass Spectrometry* ; Muscle Proteins ; Myosin Light Chains ; Phospholipid Transfer Proteins ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor ; Running ; Serine ; Shock ; Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate ; Tropomyosin ; Up-Regulation ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

The distinction of carcinomas involving periampullary region is often difficult, even in the surgically resected specimens. To examine the differences in the expressions of cytokeratin (CK) 7 and 20 in the periampullary carcinomas, we performed immunohistochemical studies on surgically resected 20 pancreatic duct adenocarcinomas (PDA), 13 distal bile duct adenocarcinomas (DBA), 10 duodenal adenocarcinomas (DA), and 18 ampulla of Vater adenocarcinomas (AVA). We analyzed the relationships between CK 7/CK 20 immunoprofile, and tumor cell differentiation and tumor size. We interpreted diffuse cytoplasmic reactivity found in > or =5% of tumor cells as positive. In the majority of cases, PDA were CK 7 /20 (95%), DBA CK 7 /20 (92.3%), DA either CK 7 /20 (40%) or CK 7 /20 (30%), AVA either CK 7 /20 (50%) or CK 7 /20 (44.4%). In DA, there was an increased CK 20 negativity in less differentiated (moderately or poorly differentiated) cases (p<0.05) and in larger (> or =5 cm) tumor size (p=0.049). In AVA, there was a tendency of increased CK 20 positivity in less differentiated cases (p=0.10). In conclusion, the CK 7/CK 20 immunophenotype is useful in the differentiation of periampullary carcinomas: the CK 7 /CK 20 immunophenotype strongly suggests DA or AVA, whereas the CK 7 /CK 20 immunophenotype suggests PDA or DBA.
Adenocarcinoma ; Ampulla of Vater ; Bile Ducts ; Cell Differentiation ; Cytoplasm ; Keratin-20 ; Keratin-7 ; Keratins ; Pancreatic Ducts

BACKGROUND: The expressions of galectin-3, cytokeratin 19, p53, and Ki-67 in papillary carcinoma (PC), follicular carcinoma (FC), follicular adenoma (FA), and nodular hyperplasia (NH) are characteristic for the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant thyroid tumors. METHODS: The expressions of the four markers were evaluated in PC (n=37), FC (n=12), FA (n=22), and NH (n=23) by immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: Statistical analyses revealed that galectin-3 was significantly expressed in the malignant tumor cells of PC and FC, while CK19 was expressed only in PC. CONCLUSION: These results show that galectin-3 is useful in differential diagnosis between malignant and benign thyroid lesions, especially between FC and FA in the patients over 20 years old, and indicate that CK19 is valuable in differentiating between follicular variant of PC and FC and between PC and papillary area of nodular hyperplasia.
Adenoma ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Galectin 3 ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Keratin-19 ; Keratins ; Thyroid Gland ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to determine whether the hyperproliferative and hyperkeratotic characters of cholesteatoma are associated with differentiation of keratinocytes in cholesteatoma by examining the localization of marker proteins, such as involucrin, filaggrin, and cytokeratins. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical study was carried out in 30 cholesteatoma tissues and 10 retroauricular skins to examine the expression of involucrin, filaggrin, cytokeratin 4, 10 and 16. The staining results were graded as negative, weakly positive (<10%), moderately positive (10-70%), and strongly positive (>70%). RESULTS: Involucrin was strongly expressed in upper spinous, granular, and corneal layer of cholesteatoma. Filaggrin was strongly expressed in granular and corneal layer of cholesteatoma. Cytokeratin 4 was expressed in basal layer of retroauricular skin, but occasionally expressed in suprabasal layer of cholesteatoma. Cytokeratin 10 was homogenously expressed in all suprabasal layer of retroauricular skin, whereas pattern of shift to surface layer was showed in cholesteatoma. Cytokeratin 16 was moderately expressed at suprabasal layer in cholesteatoma. CONCLUSIONS: It can be suggested that early differentiation of suprabasal layer may lead to hyperdifferentiation and hyperkeratosis. Different expression of cytokeratins possibly indicates the altered differentiation of cholesteatoma.
Cholesteatoma ; Intermediate Filament Proteins ; Keratin-16 ; Keratin-4 ; Keratinocytes ; Keratins ; Protein Precursors ; Proteins ; Skin

BACKGROUND: The detection of micrometastatic cells in patients with breast cancer may aid in determining of prognosis and in developing new therapeutic approaches. In this study, we evaluate an assay to identify breast cancer cells in the bone marrow of patients with breast cancer by using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for cytokeratin 19 (CK-19) transcripts. METHODS: A CK-19 specific-nested RT-PCR assay was developed and optimized by using limited dilutions of an MCF-7 breast-cancer cell line mixed with normal bone-marrow specimens. The optimized assay was then used to examine bone-marrow samples obtained from 60 patients with breast cancer. The specificity was assessed by examining 20 negative controls using malignant hematologic disease. RESULTS: In the sensitivity calibration system, CK-19 expressing tumor cells were detected in the mixture of 10 MCF-7 cells in 107 normal bone-marrow cells. All 20 neagtive control samples failed to amplify. Bone marrow samples from 10 of 60 patients (16.7%) with breast cancer scored positive, indicating micrometastasis of the bone marrow. Seven of the 37 samples from patients whose axillary lymph nodes were negative based on conventional histopathological studies were positive when the CK-19 RT-PCR method was used. CONCLUSION: RT-PCR for CK-19 is a sensitive, specific, and rapid method for detecting micrometastatic mammary carcinoma cells in the bone marrow of patients with breast cancer. It could be helpful in diagnosing and monitoring metastastic breast cancer and detecting of micrometastasis. This method should be evaluated using a larger number of patients for long-term follow-up.
Bone Marrow ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast ; Calibration ; Cell Line ; Hematologic Diseases ; Humans ; Keratin-19 ; Keratins ; Lymph Nodes ; MCF-7 Cells ; Neoplasm Micrometastasis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prognosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The diagnosis of thyroid nodular diseases is critical for clinical management. Because of the histological similarity of follicular patterned thyroid lesions, the differential diagnosis is often difficult to determine, even with permanent sections. For this reason, we assessed the preoperative diagnostic usefulness of immunohistochemical staining for the four potential markers of malignant thyroid nodule, beta-galactosil binding lectin (Galectin-3), Hector Battifora Mesothelial cell (HBME-1), cytokeratin-19 (CK-19) and high molecular weight cytokeratin (HMW-CK) in tissues obtained by ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The immunohistochemical expression of Galectin-3, HBME-1, CK-19 and HMW-CK were evaluated in 43 preoperative thyroid lesions obtained to assess their potential as markers in the diagnosis and classification of thyroid malignancy. We compared the preoperative expression of the four markers with the results of postoperative permanent pathology. RESULTS: The expression patterns and positive rates of four markers were the variables in 4 thyroid lesions; however, all markers were strong in malignant thyroid nodules, especially in papillary carcinoma. There were no significant differences in the expression rates of the four markers between follicular carcinoma and follicular adenoma. The sensitivity of HBME-1 for thyroid malignancy was the highest (86%) among the four markers, but the sensitivity of combinational expression using two markers, especially Galectin-3 or HBME-1 (95%), HBME-1 or HMW-CK (90%), was higher than that of the expression using one marker for thyroid malignancy. CONCLUSION: The four markers were reliable markers for papillary carcinoma. In preoperative differential diagnosis of thyroid nodule, we suggest that the combinational expression using two makers is more useful than a single marker expression.
Adenoma ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Galectin 3 ; Keratin-19 ; Keratins ; Molecular Weight ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Nodule

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the expression of cytokeratin 8, 18, 19 with low molecular weight, which have been classified as a group of simple epithelium-related marker for advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Detection of cytokeratin expression was performed by immunohistochemical study using antikeratin monoclonal antibodies (CAM5.2, RCK108). Immunohistochemical study was used further to detect the presence of p53 mutation in larynx carcinoma, and PCR was performed to detect the infection of HPV. We then tried to draw relationship among these factors with regard to advanced larynx carcinoma. RESULTS: Cytokeratin 8, 18 (CAM5.2) was detected in 17 cases among the 19 advanced larynx carcinoma, and in 3 cases among the 15 normal larynx. Cytokeratin 19(RCK108) was detected in 18 cases among the advanced larynx carcinoma, and in 11 cases among the 15 normal larynx. HPV DNA was detected in 4 of the 19 cases of larynx carcinoma. With regard to subtypes of HPV, HPV 16 was detected in 2 cases. And p53 was detected in 6 out of the 19 cases of larynx carcinoma. There was no correlation among the cytokeratin expression, the p53 expression, and the HPV infection. CONCLUSION: This results show that cytokeratin 8, 18 (CAM5.2) expression might be a meaningful parameter in malignant change of the larynx, but the prognostic role of the cytokeratin and the role of p53 and HPV in cytokeratin expression in larynx carcinoma was not confirmed.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; DNA ; Human papillomavirus 16 ; Humans* ; Keratin-8 ; Keratins* ; Larynx ; Molecular Weight ; Papilloma* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction