Homeobox transcriptional factor engrailed homeobox 1 is expressed specifically in normal and neoplastic sweat gland cells

Aims: A number of homeobox transcriptional factors are utilised as organ-specific markers in the histopathological diagnosis of neoplasms. We have screened a homeobox gene that is expressed specifically in normal sweat gland cells and is useful for the histopathological diagnosis of sweat gland neoplasms.

Methods and results: By screening an open database resource of The Human Protein Atlas, 37 genes among the 235 homeobox transcriptional factors were found to be expressed specifically in the skin. Among those 37 genes, the engrailed homeobox 1 (En1) was expressed in normal eccrine glands but not in the epidermal keratinocytes. Expression of En1 was found throughout the eccrine glands, but not in the apocrine secretory coils, sebaceous glands or hair follicles. Expression of En1 was examined immunohistochemically in 111 cases of cutaneous epithelial neoplasms. All nine cases of poroma, seven cases of spiradenoma and six cases of syringoma, which are considered to differentiate towards eccrine glands, showed positive nuclear staining in most of the tumour cells. Sebaceous gland and hair follicle tumours were immunonegative. En1 was expressed focally in the epidermal neoplasms of seborrheic keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma.

Conclusion: Engrailed homeobox 1 was expressed specifically in normal eccrine glands and was expressed in most of the tumour cells of sweat gland neoplasms with eccrine gland differentiation. En1 was expressed focally in epidermal neoplasms; however, it was absent in sebaceous or hair follicle neoplasms. These findings will help in the histopathological diagnosis as well as understanding of the histogenesis of sweat gland neoplasms.