The Journal of investigative dermatology
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The distribution of fibronectin (FN) and laminin (LM) in basal cell epithelioma was evaluated by indirect immunofluorescence. FN is a glycoprotein which promotes interaction between cells and the extracellular matrix, and is present at the dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ) and throughout the dermis, but absent in the normal epidermis. LM, a noncollagenous basement membrane protein, plays a role in epithelial adhesion to type IV collagen, and is normally present in the DEJ, but absent in the epidermis. ⋯ FN immunofluorescence was intense throughout the connective tissue stroma of all tumors. Five tumors also showed FN staining within the nests of neoplastic cells, and 4 of these were also LM-positive in the tumor bulk. These immunofluorescent findings suggest that epidermal neoplasia can be associated with alterations in the distribution of FN and LM.