Keratinocyte cytogenetics in 10 patients with pigmentary mosaicism: identification of one case of trisomy 20 mosaicism confined to keratinocytes.

BACKGROUND: Hypomelanosis of Ito and linear and whorled hypermelanosis are pigmentary disorders that follow Blaschko's lines and are associated with cytogenetic mosaicism. However, mosaicism cannot always be shown using conventional karyotyping of blood lymphocytes or skin fibroblasts. This may be because these cell lines originate from mesoderm, whereas Blaschko's lines are an ectodermal phenomenon.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the diagnostic value of keratinocyte cytogenetics in patients with pigmentary mosaicism (PM).

METHODS: We undertook a prospective study of 10 patients with clinically suspected PM. Previous karyotyping of blood, and in some cases skin fibroblasts, was normal in all cases. Keratinocytes and fibroblasts were cultured from skin biopsies taken from light and dark skin, and examined for cytogenetic abnormalities.

RESULTS: In 9 of 10 cases both keratinocyte and fibroblast cytogenetic analyses were normal. The remaining patient showed trisomy 20 mosaicism confined to keratinocytes from hypopigmented skin. Fluorescent in situ hybridization using a probe for 20q confirmed trisomy 20 mosaicism in keratinocytes but not fibroblasts, with higher signal expression in hypopigmented compared with normal skin.

CONCLUSIONS: In patients with clinically suspected PM but normal blood cytogenetics, keratinocytes may be more sensitive than skin fibroblasts in identifying cytogenetic mosaicism in selected patients. However, the additional diagnostic yield appears to be insufficient to justify routine keratinocyte cytogenetic investigation. Our findings indirectly support the hypothesis that Blaschko's lines delineate the embryonal migration paths taken by ectodermal cells including keratinocytes and melanocytes.