The spitz class genes, pointed (pnt), rhomboid frho), single-minded (sim), spitz (spi)and Star (S), as well as the Drosophila epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr) signaling genes, argos (aos), Egfr, orthodenticle (otd) and vein (vn), are required for the proper establishment of ventral neuroectodermal cell fate. The roles of the CNS midline cells, spitz class and Egfr signaling genes in cell...

In vertebrates and Drosophila, the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) signal transduction pathway is important in the regulation of cellular development. EGFR is bound by several activating ligands including Transforming Growth Factor-α in vertebrates, and its homolog Spitz in Drosophila. It has been shown that Spitz and EGFR act in the development of the Drosophila central nervous system ...

BACKGROUND Differentiating Spitz nevi from melanoma can be difficult. Pagetoid spread of melanocytes is among the features making diagnosis difficult. Rare reports of isolated pagetoid Spitz nevi exist. OBSERVATIONS We present a unique case of multiple pagetoid Spitz nevi initially diagnosed as multiple in situ melanomas. Germline karyotyping, CDK4 and CDKN2A sequencing, and comparative genom...

Activation of the Drosophila EGF-receptor (DER) is spatially and temporally controlled by the release of its various ligands. DER and its ligand Spitz mediate the formation of specific somatic muscle precursors. We show that a second DER ligand, Vein, complements the activity of Spitz in the development of various somatic muscle precursors. In vn mutant embryos, the DER-dependent muscle precurs...

Because spitzoid melanoma shares many histopathologic features with Spitz nevus, it is one of the most difficult lesions to diagnose in dermatopathology. Uncertainty exists in the medical literature about how to diagnose melanocytic proliferations including Spitz nevus and spitzoid melanoma. A misdiagnosis of a melanoma as Spitz nevus is one of the most frequent causes of malpractice lawsuits i...

background spitz nevus is an infrequent acquired melanocytic nevus. there is still a challenge for dermatopathologists in distinguishing spitz nevus from malignant melanoma particularly in adults since there is no immunohistochemistry or molecular markers which differentiate spitz nevus from melanoma. objectives the aim of this study is to make clear what clinico-histopathological features of s...

Distinguishing between Spitz nevus and melanoma presents a challenging task for clinicians and pathologists. Most of these lesions are submitted entirely in formalin for histologic analysis by conventional hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections, and fresh-frozen material for ancillary studies is rarely collected. Molecular techniques, such as comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), can detect ...

The Spitz nevus, also known as benign juvenile melanoma or a nevus of epitheloid and spindle cells, was first described by Sophie Spitz in 1948 and is most common in children and adolescents. They can present in three different ways: solitary nodular, multiple grouped, and multiple disseminated. The great majority of lesions are solitary, nodular, and are present in children and adolescents (57...