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Query: UMLS:C0027960 (mole)
 21,279 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In the study of the histogenesis of intradermal nevi, the nevus cell-Schwann cell relationship has been a matter of long debate. We have demonstrated a dense axonal supply in the intradermal nevi by protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5) immunohistochemistry. There were small nerve bundles between nevus cell nests and numerous individual axons in the nests of all the intradermal nevi studied. The distribution of these axons was more dense in the deeper and middle portions than in the superficial portion of the nevi. The significance and morphogenesis of this rich axonal supply in the intradermal nevi remain obscure, but this nevic neurotropism suggests an intimate mutual interaction between nevus cells and axons: possibly, some activities of nevus cells stimulating axonal proliferation, or nevus cell migration into the preexisting nerves. The presence of the proliferated axons may have some influences upon Schwannian transformation of the nevus cells. The mode of contact between nevus cell and axon, the presence of true Schwann cells surrounding the proliferated axons and the demonstration of myelin structure should be investigated by further electron microscopic study.
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PMID:The innervation of intradermal nevi. On the nevus-axon relations. 813 Jan 59

The present ultrastructural evaluation of 12 acquired intradermal melanocytic nevi revealed that in contrast to the nested epithelioid melanocytic nevus cells of the upper dermis, the spindle nevus cells of the deep dermis showed perineurial differentiation, exhibiting a spindly configuration characterized by a melanosome-free cytoplasm that showed extremely slender bipolar contour and contained abundant intermediate filaments, a decreased number of cytoplasmic organelles, and, significantly, a fair number of plasmalemmal pinocytotic vesicles. The nevic corpuscles were found to consist of laminated slender cytoplasm showing subcellular conformation similar to that of the spindle nevus cells. By immunohistochemistry, many spindle nevus cells and nevic corpuscles were immunoreactive for nerve growth factor receptor. All the nevus cells were immunoreactive for vimentin and S-100 protein, and negative for protein gene product 9.5, epithelial membrane antigen, Leu-7, and myelin basic protein. Characteristically, protein gene product 9.5 immunohistochemistry revealed numerous immunoreactive axons intermingled with the spindle nevus cells in the deep portion. All the PGP9.5-immunoreactive axons were observed by immunoelectron microscope to be unmyelinated and always ensheathed by a thin cytoplasmic process of Schwann cells but not nevus cells. These findings indicate that differentiation plasticity exists in the various nevus cells, with the epithelioid nevus cells and the spindle nevus cells displaying more ultrastructural and immunophenotypical characteristics of melanocyte and perineurial cells, respectively, suggesting that a pluripotential cell of neural crest origin accounts for the histogenesis of this lesion.
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PMID:Ultrastructural heterogeneity of acquired intradermal melanocytic nevus cells. 872 69

Adequate interpretation of clinical and histopathologic features of giant congenital melanocytic nevus (GCMN) in newborns is a continued challenge. A GCMN with three large nodules and three polypoid exophytic tumors presented in the dorsum of a female full-term newborn, the borders exhibiting a spotted grouped pattern. Microscopic examination revealed a peculiar adnexal-centered (eccrine sweat gland ducts, acrosiringia, and hair infundibula) compound nevus expressing pagetoid intraepidermal spreading of epithelioid melanocytes. The nodules represented an extensive ganglioneuromatous component. The neurons and their neuropil were positive for neuron-specific enolase, S-100, synaptophysin, tyrosine hydroxilase, and PGP 9.5. In addition to these components, a poorly differentiated, fusiform, low-mitotic rate population of cells undergoing epithelioid differentiation (and probably neuronal differentiation) with nodular arrangement was also present in the polypoid tumors and deeper parts of the nevus, in part intermixed with the neurons. These cells were vimentin positive but S-100 negative. FISH studies revealed these cells to express three signals for the centromeric probe for chromosome 7 whereas the neuronal component showed just two. Adnexal-centered arrangement of melanocytes has not been emphasized in GCMN. Ganglioneuromatous differentiation has been rarely reported in this condition. Trisomy 7 in GCMN has been reported only once previously.
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PMID:Adnexal-centered giant congenital melanocyte nevus with extensive ganglioneuromatous component and trisomy 7. 1044 25

Many melanocytic nevi contain areas similar to nerve sheath tumors (NST) and NSTs with melanin have been described. There are some NSTs with at least partial intraneural location, including neurofibromas, plexiform neurofibromas, granular cell tumors and the recently described, dendritic cell neurofibroma with pseudorosettes. We describe the case of an NST with melanocytic differentiation and intraneural location, for which we suggest the term 'melanocytoneuroma' (MCN). It arose in the skin of a 67-year-old woman with no previous history of melanoma or neurofibromatosis. The lesion presented as a papule and histologically consisted of a dermal nodule without junctional melanocytic activity. The lesion comprised an intraneural proliferation of large epithelioid eosinophilic cells with prominent cell borders imparting a 'plant-like' appearance. The cells were also seen within adjacent nerve twigs and were positive for S100, Melan-A, HMB-45, microphthalmia transcription factor and PGP 9.5. The lesion was entirely surrounded by an epithelial membrane antigen-positive-perineurial coat and the individual tumor cells were invested by laminin and collagen type-IV-positive basal lamina-like material. The lesion did not show any evidence of atypia and following complete excision, no recurrence has been documented. In conclusion, this unusual lesion represents an intraneural proliferation with melanocytic and nerve sheath cell differentiation, to which we have accorded the appellation, MCN.
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PMID:Cutaneous melanocytoneuroma: the first case of a distinctive intraneural tumor with dual nerve sheath and melanocytic differentiation. 1799 40