Distribution of neu (c-erbB-2) protein in human skin

The neu (c-erbB-2) gene encodes a transmembrane protein with tyrosine kinase activity that appears to be a growth factor receptor. Antibody was generated by immunization of rabbits with a synthetic polypeptide that was based on an internal sequence at the carboxy terminus of the molecule. This antibody was used to survey the expression of neu in human skin by immunohistochemistry. Significant protein was found in the squamous cell layer of the surface epidermis, in squamous cell carcinomas, in the external root sheath of hair follicles, and in eccrine gland secretory cells; it was poorly expressed in the basal cell layer and in a basal cell carcinomas. Increased neu expression appears to be associated with the differentiation of keratinocytes.