Present understanding of the development of Mallory's body

Mallory's body filament assembly includes polypeptides of the cytokeratin class of intermediate filaments and also higher molecular weight polypeptides normally found only in the cytokeratins of mature keratinocytes of the epidermis. These additional polypeptides may alter both the morphologic characteristics and increase the resistance to dissolution of the filaments by Ca++-activated protease activity. Thus, it is likely that the kinetics of Mallory's body filament assembly and dissolution favor growth of the filaments. In rodents fed certain carcinogens, Mallory's body formation has been accompanied by the induction of the oncofetoenzyme gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), suggesting that Mallory's body formation, like GGT induction, is a phenotypic change related to the process of neoplastic transformation in rodents.