Expression of COUP-TF-interacting protein 2 (CTIP2) in human atopic dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis skin.

Chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor-interacting protein 2 (CTIP2) is a transcriptional regulator that is highly expressed in skin during mouse development, as well as in proliferating cells of adult mouse skin. We investigated expression of CTIP2 along with proliferation marker Ki-67 in normal human skin, and in skin from atopic dermatitis (AD), and in allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) samples by immunohistochemistry (IHC). We discovered for the first time that CTIP2 was expressed in proliferating basal and suprabasal layer in normal human epidermis. CTIP2 expression was dramatically increased in the epidermis from the AD and ACD samples compared with normal samples, and was labelled in both proliferating basal and suprabasal layers. Altogether our results suggest that CTIP2 expression could be linked to disease progression and/or maintenance in AD and ACD patients.