Abstract
Purpose: :
To report the cytopathology of corneal intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) as for cytokeratin expression pattern, keratinization, cell prolifaration, apoptosis, and epithelial mesenchymal transition.
Methods: :
Cryosections of CIN tissue were examined by immunostaining analysis using antibodies against cytokeratins, keratinization-related proteins, Ki67, human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (hTERT), and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins. Sub-cellular localization of F-actin was also analyzed using phalloidin. For the detection of apoptotic cells, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay was performed. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to quantitate the expression level of hTERT in the CIN epithelium.
Results: :
The CIN epithelium exhibited a significantly altered cytokeratin expression pattern compared to normal corneas with upregulated expression of keratinization-related proteins. The CIN epithelium also demonstrated an increased number of Ki67 positive cells with upregulated expression of hTERT while exhibiting an increased number of apoptotic cells. EMT did not occur in the CIN epithelium.
Conclusions: :
CIN epithelium seems to be slightly dedifferentiated from the corneal epithelial lineage. The balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis in the CIN epithelium was significantly altered but its malignant level appears to be not as high as that of metastasis-competent malignant cancers.
Keywords: cornea: epithelium • tumors