Weak immunohistochemical expression of galectin-3 near blisters in Hailey-Hailey disease

Hailey-Hailey disease (HHD) is an uncommon hereditary and benign skin condition characterized by blisters and erosions on intertriginous areas. It is related to a mutation of the ATP2C1 gene, which encodes a Ca²⁺ pump. It is characterized by multiple foci of skin acantholysis in the epidermis, with dyskeratosis and suprabasilar clefting. Galectin-3 is a beta-galactoside-binding protein that has an essential role in cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix adhesion. We assessed galectin-3 immunohistochemical expression in HHD to explore its impact on the pathogenesis of this hereditary blistering disorder.

In a retrospective study, seven specimens from seven patients diagnosed with HHD were stained with antibodies to galectin-3. We evaluated the nuclear and cytoplasmic expression of galectin-3, as well as the staining intensity around blisters and distant normal skin.

We observed a significant decrease in cytoplasmic and nuclear expression of galectin-3 as well as stain intensity around blisters compared with distant normal skin.

While the acantholysis process in HHD is related to abnormality in cadherin expression caused by altered Ca²⁺ pump concentration, lower expression of galectin-3 may cause the extension of blisters by initiating cell-to-cell disassembly in the epidermis.