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VLA protein expression on epidermal cells (keratinocytes, Langerhans cells, melanocytes): A light and electron microscopic immunohistochemical study

British Journal of Dermatology, ISSN: 0007-0963, Vol: 124, Issue: 2, Page: 135-145
1991
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Article Description

The very late antigens, or VLA proteins, are a family of cell surface heterodimers (αβ) that mediate cell adhesion to specific components of the extracellular matrix (collagens, fibronectin, laminin). In normal human epidermis, the common VLA β subunit is expressed on basal keratinocytes (BK), Langerhans cells (LC) and melanocytes. By means of light and electron microscopic immunostaining procedures, we have investigated the distribution of VLA α subunits on normal human adult and foetal epidermal cells. α antigen expression was not observed on any epidermal cell type. Both during foetal development and in adult epidermis, α and α were strongly expressed on the cell membrane of BK, while α was mainly expressed at their dermal pole. These different patterns of distribution suggest that the α subunit may mediate BK anchorage to the basement membrane zone, while the α and α subunits may also be involved in intercellular adhesion. Moreover, with immunoelectron microscopy, LC were seen to be weakly α and α positive and melanocytes were α and α positive. Thus, VLA proteins are expressed by epidermal cells in a cell-type-specific pattern that could be related to particular functional roles of these proteins.

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