Immunohistochemical staining of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in malignant and nonmalignant skin diseases

Abstract

Immunohistochemical staining of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was performed in skin from patients with various malignant and nonmalignant skin diseases using anti-PCNA monoclonal antibodies. The malignant diseases included squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), adult T lymphotrophic leukemia (ATL), mycosis fungoides, malignant melanoma and malignant lymphoma, and the nonmalignant diseases included severe treatment-resistant atopic dermatitis (AD), psoriasis vulgaris, verruca vulgaris, and others. The percentage of PCNA-positive cells (the labeling index, LI) was highest for the malignant diseases (56.5+/-7.1%). The LIs for severe treatment-resistant AD, psoriasis, and verruca vulgaris were also significantly higher than those for the normal control or nonlesional skin of the patients. The PCNA LIs were, however, not significantly elevated in eczema and contact dermatitis. The high PCNA LIs in severe AD and psoriasis vulgaris were considerably lower in the skin improved by treatment. Labeling with Ki67, a nuclear protein expressed in cycling cells, was also performed in skin from subsets of each patient group. The results were very similar to those found with PCNA labeling. PCNA-positive cells were found throughout the dermis as well as the basal layer in the malignant diseases, whereas they were found only in the basal layer in the nonmalignant diseases. The results suggest that in human skin diseases, the extent of staining for PCNA, which is a cofactor of DNA polymerase-delta and is essential for cell proliferation, correlates with the extent to which the disease is treatment-resistant. In addition, our findings suggest that the PCNA LI and distribution of PCNA-positive cells in the skin may be helpful in the early diagnosis of skin malignancies.

Clinical, pathological and immunohistochemical findings of bovine cutaneous papillomatosis

“…With these methods, nuclear antigen associated with cell growth and division, stained and evaluated under the microscope (26). Because of both Ki-67 and PCNA is a useful marker of cell proliferation (5); they used several times in neoplastic skin tissues previously (2,16,17). Immunohistochemical studies have shown increased nuclear PCNA and Ki-67 staining at both human and cattle papillomatosis (13,14,18,22).…”

Proliferation, Apoptosis, and Survivin Expression in Keratinocytic Neoplasms and Hyperplasias

“…Increased proliferation compared with normal skin was shown in psoriasis, 12,13 ichthyosis, 12 chronic dermatitis, 12,13 and verruca vulgaris. 13 Malignant diseases such as SCC, 13 mycosis fungoides, 10,13 and melanoma 14,15 have an even higher proliferation index than these benign conditions. Distinct PCNA staining patterns may also be seen in different disease states.…”

Correlation between Early Treatment Failure and Ki67 Antigen Expression in Blast Cells of Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia before Commencing Treatment

“…The Ki67 molecule becomes rapidly hydrolysed soon after the end of the M phase. Together with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), the Ki67 antigen is one of the most sensitive parameters of undifferentiated cell proliferation [3, 4, 5]. Ki67 antigen is absent during the G₀ phase – a stage when neoplastic cells become completely unresponsive to chemotherapy [3].…”