Expression Patterns of Cytokeratin and Involucrin in the Epidermis of the Artificial Skin Reconstructed by Cultured Cells / 체질인류학회지

ABSTRACT

To investigate differentiation and growth process of keratinocytes in organotypic cultured skin, we carried out immunohistochemical studies for cytokeratin (CK) 10, 14, 16, 17 and involucrin in the cultured skin. In normal skin CK14 and CK10 were detected in the basal and all suprabasal layer, respectively, whereas in artificial skin CK14 was detected up to the middle of spinous layer but CK10 expressed from the middle of spinous layer. The detection of involucrin in normal skin was from the upper spinous layer but found from lower spinous layer in the artificial skin. Both CK16 and CK17 did not expressed in in vivo skin but expressed weakly in the spinous layer of artificial skin. It is therefore concluded that the characteristics of basal cell were maintained in the several, lower layers of the sartificial skin. The growth and differentiation steps of the skin were similar to those of in vivo although differences were seen in the expression level.