The expression of c-erbB-2 protein in the keratinocytes of oral mucosal lichen planus

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Abstract
The expression of the c-crbB-2 protein was studied in the keratinocytes from patients with: (i) oral mucosal lichen planus (OLP) (n=2(S): (ii) oral mucosal squamous cell carcinoma (OMSCC) which had arisen in mucosa affected by OLP (n=5); and (iii) normal oral mucosa (n=5). C-erbB-2 protein was expressed on the cell membranes of the keratinocytes of nucleated epithelium in the stratum spinosum. The antigenic determinant recognized represents the cytoplasmic domain of a cell surface receptor which binds an as yet uncharacterized heparin binding ligand of unknown function.1.2 The specimens from the live normal subjects showed positive immunohistochemical staining with the monoclonal c-erbB-2 protein antibody, the OMSCC specimens were negative, and 23 of 26 of the OLP specimens were positive. The lack of c-cerbB-2 expression in the three OLP and in the five OMSCC specimens may indicate a genetic alteration, or masking of the expression of c-cerbB-2. The absence of expression in OLP specimens might be an indicator of the possibility of future neoplastic transformation.