RÉSUMÉ
Background The study on normal stem cell markers provides a new way of thinking of that pathogenesis of cancer research and looking for specific markers of cancer stem cells.Importin13 (IPO13) is a novel nucleus-cytoplasm transport receptor protein of importin β family,the study on the biological behavior of IPO13 in ocular tissue and limbal neoplasms is lacking.Objective This study was to investigate the differential expression of IPO13 and p63 in human benign and malignant conjunctiva-cornea neoplasms.Methods The specimens of normal donor limbal and conjunctival tissues (6),conjunciva-cornea papilloma (CCP) (6) and conjunctiva-cornea intraepithelial neoplasia(CCIN) (6)were collected from Xiangya Hospital of Center South University.The expressions of IPO13 and p63 in the corresponding tissue were qualitatively and quantitatively detected using immunochemistry.The A values of IPO13 and p63 positive response were calculated and compared among the 3 types specimens.Results The immunohistostaining on frozen sections showed that IPO13 was expressed in nuclei of basal cells of limbal and conjunctival epithelium and the cellular nuclei of basal cells and suprabasal cells of CCP and CCIN epithelium.The A values of IPO13 positive expression were 1687± 1014,3546± 1375 and 7635 ±2854 in the normal limbal specimen,CCP and CCIN,respectively,showing a significant difference among them (F =7.23,P＜0.05),and the A value was higher in the CCP and CCIN than that in the normal limbal tissue (q =4.02,5.13,P＜0.05),and that in the CCIN was significantly elevated in comparison with CCP(q =3.45,P＜0.05).p63 was expressed in nuclei of basal cells and suprabasal of limbal,conjunctival and CCP epithelium,and was expressed in nuclei of the entire CCIN epithelium.The expressions of p63 in the normal conjunctiva-cornea tissue,CCP and CCIN were 2110± 1229,3966± 2129 and 6650± 2136 respectively,with significant difference among the three different specimens (F =6.17,P＜ 0.05),and the A value of p63 positive expression was significantly elevated in the CCP and CCIN compared with normal limbal specimen (q =4.33,5.01,P＜0.05),and that in the CCIN was significantly elevated in comparison with CCP(q=3.83,P＜0.05).Conclusions IPO13 is more specifical in marking the poorly differentiated cells in limbal epithelial proliferative lesions than p63.Compared with the normal limbal specimen,the expressions of IPO13 and p63 in CCP and CCIN specimens gradually upregulat,which suggests that IPO13 and p63 may play a positive regulatory role in conjunctiva-cornea proliferative lesions.The differential expression of IPO13 and p63 is predominant between benign and malignant limbal epithelial proliferative lesions,indicating that IPO13 and p63 may play an important role in regulating the abnormal proliferation and differentiation of limbal epithelial proliferative lesions.