Immunohistochemical staining characteristics of epidermal appendages (hair follicles and eccrine sweat glands) to anti-epidermal keratin antisera

Abstract

The cellular characteristics of the epidermal appendages and their differentiations in relation to those of the epidermis have been chiefly studied from the morphological points in the past. We investigated them from the immunohistochemical characteristics of the constituent keratin protein to the antiserum against total keratin isolated from human plantar stratum corneum (TKA) which stains the whole epidermis, and to the antiserum against 64K keratin separated from total keratin (64KA) which stains the whole epidermis except the basal layer. In the hair follicles, medulla and cortex of the hair shaft and inner root sheath were positively stained with both types of the antisera only at the keratogenous zone. The staining pattern of the outer root sheath with 64KA were variable at different levels of the hair follicle. The secretory portion of the eccrine glands showed a heterogeneous staining pattern as compared with the ductal portions which were stained homogeneously by both antisera. In eccrine poroma, all of the tumor cells were stained positively with TKA, while negatively or positively stained cells were intermingled with 64KA, suggesting that only some tumor cells showed mature keratinization.