Expression of type I hair keratins in follicular tumours

Background Hair keratins are specifically expressed in hair and nails. We previously demonstrated the expression of hair keratin basic 1 mRNA in pilomatrixomas. We recently developed a method for immunohistochemical staining of the group of acidic keratins, which have not yet been investigated in human tumours. Objectives To study the expression of eight members of the type I hair keratin subfamily in pilomatrixomas and other skin tumours of follicular origin. Methods We performed immunohistochemistry on paraffin sections of formalin-fixed pilomatrixomas (40), trichoepitheliomas (10), trichoblastomas (10), desmoplastic trichoepitheliomas (10) and basal cell carcinomas (10), using antibodies against type I hair keratins hHa1, hHa2, hHa3-II, hHa4, hHa5, hHa6, hHa7 and hHa8 as well as cytokeratin CK17. Results While CK17 was found in almost all tumours investigated, hair keratins were exclusively expressed in pilomatrixomas. Their expression was restricted to areas of transitional cells, located between outer basophilic matricial cells and an inner zone of eosinophilic shadow cells. The most frequently and most strongly expressed hair keratins were hHa1, hHa2, hHa5 and hHa8, whereas hHa4 and hHa6 were only weakly expressed. No positive staining was observed with anti-hHa3-II and anti-hHa7 antibodies. Hair keratin expression in intermediate maturation stage pilomatrixomas resembled that of normal hair follicles, with early matricial and cuticular keratins hHa5 and hHa2 being expressed in lower transitional cells, followed by expression of early cortex keratins hHa1 and hHa8 in intermediate transitional cells and the late cortex keratins hHa4 and hHa6 in upper transitional cells. The latter were, however, seen only in a few intermediate maturation stage pilomatrixomas and were generally absent in late-stage pilomatrixomas. Conclusions These changes in hair keratin expression patterns indicate that the maturation of pilomatrixomas towards large areas of shadow cells is associated with a gradual loss of differentiation-specific hair keratins. The complex hair keratin expression in pilomatrixomas is a further argument in favour of a hair matrix origin of this tumour.