Heat shock protein 27 is expressed in normal and malignant human melanocytes in vivo

Steven H. Kang, Maxwell A. Fung, Regina Gandour-Edwards, Debra Reilly, Teresa Dizon, Jennifer Grahn, R. Rivkah Isseroff

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a family of highly conserved proteins found ubiquitously in mammalian cells, believed to be regulators of normal cell physiology and the cellular stress response. In addition, the small 27-kDa heat shock protein (HSP27) has previously been found to be a differentiation marker for keratinocytes and a prognostic marker associated with increased survival in certain cancerous tumors. Methods: Using immunohistochemistry on routinely processed paraffin sections, we examined skin biopsies from 15 invasive melanomas, 13 intradermal nevi, and two compound nevi immunostained with a mouse monoclonal antibody to HSP27. In addition, cultured melanocytes were heat stressed at 45°C for 1 h and then fixed and immunostained in order to localize HSP27 expression intracellularly. Results: We found cytoplasmic and strong perinuclear staining of HSP27 in melanocytes in normal skin, in melanomas, and in nevi. Nuclear reactivity was absent. In addition, in cultured non-malignant melanocytes, HSP27 expression relocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus with heat stress. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this investigation is the first to demonstrate that HSP27 is expressed in melanocytes in normal skin, in nevi, and in non-malignant cultured melanocytes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)665-671
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Cutaneous Pathology
Volume31
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2004

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pathology and Forensic Medicine
  • Histology
  • Dermatology

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