EXPRESSION OF THE H4-ANTIGEN IN NORMAL AND NEOPLASTIC-CELLS OF EPIDERMIS AND EPITHELIAL STRUCTURES OF CERVIX UTERI IN HUMAN

The aim of this work was immunohistochemical investigation of H4 antig en in normal and neoplastic epithelium of the skin and cervix uteri. W e used murine monoclonal antibodies (MABs) to H4 antigen obtained by t he hybridoma method after immunization of mice with rat colon epitheli um cytoskeletal fractions. Cryostat sections of normal and neoplastic epithelial structures revealed that H4 MABs reacted with the cells bot h of simple single-layered, and the metaplastic squamous noncornified and cornified squamous epithelia. Myoepithelial cells of eccrine sweat glands and basal cells of ectocervix did not show any reaction. The l ocalization of H4 antigen at the intermediate filaments of normal epit helial cells and the cells of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin and cervix uteri was identified by ultrastructural immunocytochemistry. H4 MABs seem to mark either general epitope of a number of cytokeratin p eptides or cytokeratin-associated protein. They are supposed to be use d as an additional immunohistochemical marker of epithelial structures and carcinoma cells.