Abstract
Specimens from patients with Bowen's disease were studied for keratin and involucrin distribution as determined by antibodies polyclonal (TK), and monoclonal (KL1 and PKK1) against keratin, and polyclonal antibodies against involucrin, respectively. Squamous cells in normal skin were positive for TK detectable keratins throughout the epidermis, while the spinous cells were strongly positive for KL1 detectable ones. Basal cells were negative for KL1, but characteristically strongly positive for PKK1. Normal epidermis showed marked staining for involucrin in upper spinous and granular cell layers. Specimens from patients with Bowen's disease exhibited irregular expression of antigen by the three types of anti-keratin antibodies with a loss of the regular or zonal distribution pattern as found in the normal epidermis. The lesions also showed negative staining for involucrin. Thus, affected epithelial cells in Bowen's disease showed marked differences in stainability with respect to present four immunoreagents.
