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Detection and cloning of epidermal zinc‐α 2 ‐glycoprotein cDNA and expression in normal human skin and in tumors
Author(s) -
Lei Gang,
Arany Istvan,
Selvanayagam Peter,
Rajaraman Srinivasan,
Ram Sandhya,
Brysk Henry,
Tyring Stephen K.,
Brysk Miriam M.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of cellular biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 165
eISSN - 1097-4644
pISSN - 0730-2312
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4644(19971101)67:2<216::aid-jcb6>3.0.co;2-#
Subject(s) - biology , complementary dna , epidermis (zoology) , microbiology and biotechnology , cdna library , human skin , zinc finger , gene , biochemistry , genetics , transcription factor , anatomy
Zinc‐α 2 ‐glycoprotein (Znα 2 gp) is almost ubiquitous in body fluids, and its antibody labels the corresponding secretory epithelia. We have found that Znα 2 gp is also expressed in human epidermis. We cloned the Znα 2 gp cDNA by screening our cDNA library, derived from epidermal keratinocytes, with a probe for prostate Znα 2 gp. It had complete nucleic acid sequence homology with that from prostate, including the signal peptide. Just as Znα 2 gp expression is higher in more differentiated breast tumors, so in skin tumors the highest mRNA levels occurred in the normal controls, the lowest in basal cell carcinomas (the least differentiated epidermal tumor type), and intermediate levels in squamous cell carcinomas and Merkel cell carcinomas. A similar increase in Znα 2 gp gene expression with differentiation was observed when epidermal keratinocytes were cultured in media that varied in cellular maturation potential. J. Cell. Biochem. 67:216–222, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.