Carcinoembryonic antigen in fetal eccrine glands: an immunohistochemical study.

Developing fetal eccrine glands were examined for the presence of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) using an unlabeled antibody peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique and rabbit antibody to human CEA. The earliest sign of commitment to the formation of an eccrine gland was the presence of CEA within a single keratinocyte in fetal epidermis. As the eccrine unit evolved, we found CEA in both acrosyringeal cells and the ductal cells. Although the function of CEA in eccrine gland remains undefined, this substance may play an integral role in the earliest development of the gland as well as in its normal function in the adult.