F1000Research Article Status Summary Referee Responses , Mohamed Badawy Abdel-Naser Venerologie und Allergologie Städtisches Klinikum Dessau Germany , University of California, Maxwell Fung Davis USA , University of Pittsburgh Frank J Jenkins USA , Istituto Superiore di Sanit Barbara Ensoli Italy Latest Comments No Comments Yet 4 3 2 1 RESEARCH ARTICLE Upregulation of human β-defensin-3 and cathelicidin LL-37 in Kaposi’s sarcoma [v2; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/VGezmS] Hanan Fathy, Maha M Amin, Abdel-Hady El-Gilany Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt Abstract Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is a rare neoplasm of lymphatic Background: endothelial cells. Human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) is considered to be a necessary, but not sufficient causal agent of KS and additional cofactors remain unknown. In this study we evaluated the expression of human β defensin (HBD)-3 and LL-37 in cutaneous lesions of KS in comparison to the healthy skin of normal subjects. We performed a quantitative immunohistochemical study of HBD-3 Methods: and LL-37 on skin lesions from 18 patients having KS, and on healthy skin from 12 normal controls. HBD-3 and LL-37 were significantly upregulated in epidermal and Results: dermal specimens of all KS patients in comparison to normal skin of healthy controls. The immunostaining score of dermal HBD-3 was significantly higher in nodular lesions (9.6 ± 2.4) versus plaque lesions (4.1 ± 2.2), P = 0.001. Also the immunostaining score of dermal LL-37 was significantly higher in nodular lesions versus plaque lesions (P = 0.001). We have demonstrated for the first time that HBD-3 and LL-37 Conclusions: are significantly upregulated in lesional skin of KS in comparison to the skin of healthy controls. The obtained data suggest a possible involvement of these antimicrobial peptides in the pathogenesis of KS. However, the biological significance of HBD-3 and LL-37 in KS lesions needs further research. Referees v1 published 26 Oct 2012 v2 published 14 Dec 2012 1 2 3 4 report 1 report 1 26 Oct 2012, :38 (doi: 10.12688/f1000research.1-38.v1) First Published: 1 14 Dec 2012, :38 (doi: 10.12688/f1000research.1-38.v2) Latest Published: 1 v2 Page 1 of 12 F1000Research 2012, 1:38 Last updated: 23 SEP 2013