2002 Volume 112 Issue 7 Pages 943-952
Anti-CD8 monoclonal antibody (DAKO clone C8/144B) cross reacts with keratin 15 (K15) and serves as a specific marker for the bulge area of the outer root sheath, in which hair stem cells reside. Using this antibody, we investigated the immunoreactivity of K15 in a group of cutaneous tumors known or alleged to be of follicular differentiation. Some neoplastic cells of follicular tumors such as basal cell carcinomas, trichoepitheliomas, trichoblastomas, and steatocystoma multiplex were shown to be positive for anti-CD 8 monoclonal antibody. Immunoreactivity of a specific marker for the bulge area in follicular tumors suggests that the hair stem cells play a role in the pathogenic mechanisms of these tumors.
