In Vitro Complement Binding in Human Skin Cells with Altered Differentiation

Exposure of cytoskeletal intermediate-sized filaments (ISF) of various cell populations in normal human skin to normal human serum (NHS) results in the deposition of C3 upon these structures; this phenomenon most likely occurs antibody-independently, is initiated by Clq binding to ISF, and is followed by the activation of the classical complement pathway. In the present study we investigated the cytoplasmic C3-binding properties of skin cells undergoing altered differentiation. Incubation of cryostat skin sections of dermal melanocytic nevi with NHS and, subsequently, with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated rabbit antihuman C3 resulted in a bright cytoplasmic staining of the vast majority of nevus cells. Immunoelectron microscopic studies demonstrated that ISF within nevus cells represented the only cytoplasmic C3-binding structures. In contrast, ISF within melanoma cells, basal cell carcinoma cells, and keratinocytes constituting psoriatic lesions lacked C3-binding properties. We propose that changes in structure and subunit protein composition of ISF in certain cells undergoing altered differentiation results in a decrease or loss of their C3-binding capacity