The transforming growth factor-beta superfamily is thought to be involved in the regulation and control of growth and differentiation. These growth factors signal through transmembrane serine/threonine kinase receptors. The activation of type I receptor kinase phosphorylates a family of intracellular signalling proteins called Smads. In the present study, we wanted to localize type I and type I...

Thirty six fine needle aspirates from various types of benign breast lesions were examined by electron microscopy and correlated with their cytological appearances. In all cases the parenchyma consisted of clumps of cohesive cells with the ultrastructural features of epithelial cells. In many cases, particularly from fibroadenomas, the parenchyma consisted of single layers of polarised epitheli...

Epithelial myoepithelial carcinoma is a rare low grade malignant salivary gland neoplasm that most commonly occurs in the parotid gland but can also arise in minor salivary glands. We report a case of primary epithelial myoepithelial carcinoma of submandibular salivary gland in a 65 year old female who presented with left cheek swelling of six months duration. CT scan revealed a localized subma...

Background and Aim: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common malignant neoplasm of the salivary glands with complex histopathologic features and clinical behavior. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathologic significance of p63, Maspin and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 expression in MEC. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, immunohistochemical stain...

A case of epithelial myoepithelial tumour originating from the tracheal gland in a 57 year old woman is described. The tumour was removed by segmental tracheal resection and end-to-end anastomosis. Histologically, the tumour comprised clear cells and presented a monophasic pattern. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the tumour cells were positive for both S-100 protein and smooth muscle a...

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer. Myoepithelial cells are specialized epithelial cells. Basal cell carcinoma with myoepithelial differentiation is a rare tumor. A 71-year-old man with a basal cell carcinoma with myoepithelial differentiation that presented as an asymptomatic red papule of two months duration on his forehead is described. Including the reported patient, this v...

Partial myoepithelial differentiation is common in simple epithelial hyperplasia (epitheliosis) of the breast but functional myoepithelial differentiation with basement membrane production is exceedingly rare. A peculiar change of hyaline globules within benign epithelial hyperplasia has been recognised before as "collagenous spherulosis" and type IV collagen has been shown by immunohistochemis...

Myoepithelial cells, which surround ducts and acini of glandular organs, form a natural border separating proliferating epithelial cells from basement membrane and underlying stroma. Myoepithelial cells in situ and in vitro constitutively express high amounts of proteinase inhibitors that include tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1, protease nexin-II, alpha-1 antitrypsin, and maspin. Human ...

mRNA for basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF) was expressed in a series of SV40-transformed human mammary cell lines as molecules of 7.1, 3.6, 2.0 and 1.2 kb. This expression was much weaker in those lines of epithelial morphology than in myoepithelial-like cell lines derived from them. It was confirmed, using northern hybridization to single-stranded RNA probes, that the multiple mRNAs were t...

We immunohistochemically compared benign myoepithelial tumors (adenomyoepitheliomas [AMEs]) and metaplastic matrix-producing (MMP-CA) and spindle cell (MSC-CA) carcinomas of the breast to identify helpful diagnostic markers. Normal myoepithelial cells (MECs) consistently expressed cytokeratin, alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA), myosin, S-100, CD10, and maspin. They were variably positive for vime...