E. Dippel et al., EXPRESSION OF THE C-KIT RECEPTOR IN HYPOMELANOSIS - A COMPARATIVE-STUDY BETWEEN PIEBALDISM, NEVUS DEPIGMENTOSUS AND VITILIGO, British journal of dermatology, 132(2), 1995, pp. 182-189
In order to investigate possible alterations in c-kit protein expressi
on on epidermal melanocytes in different hypopigmentary disorders, we
have examined skin specimens from one patient with piebaldism, one pat
ient with naevus depigmentosus, and five patients with vitiligo. Cryos
ections were examined by immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibod
ies against the c-kit protein (YB5.B8) and melanosomes (TA99). In pieb
aldism, hypomelanotic epidermis contained only a few TA99-positive epi
dermal melanocytes and no detectable c-kit protein, whereas in naevus
depigmentosus the expression of c-kit protein was strong, and TA99 imm
unoreactivity was faint. In vitiligo lesions, no epidermal immunoreact
ivity for melanosomes or c-kit protein was found. Normally pigmented s
kin of all patients showed immunoreactivity of epidermal melanocytes f
or both c-kit protein and melanosomes. Different hypomelanotic lesions
can thus be differentiated by absent melanocyte c-kit protein and low
or no expression of melanosomal marker in piebaldism, normal c-kit bu
t low melanosome expression in naevus depigmentosus, and the absence o
f all melanocyte markers in vitiligo.