Suprabasal cells exhibit both morphological and molecular similarities to basal cells. However, within the epithelium, they occupy a parabasal position, meaning their nuclei are situated between those of basal and luminal cells.
Their gene expression profile closely resembles that of basal cells, forming a continuum between basal and secretory cells.
Suprabasal cells can be distinguished from basal cells by the absence or low expression of the TP63 gene, serving as a negative marker. While their KRT5 expression is comparable to that of basal cells, they exhibit little to no TP63 expression. Additionally, they show slightly higher KRT8 expression than basal cells.
In contrast to secretory cells, suprabasal cells maintain higher KRT5 expression and do not express secretory cell-specific genes.
Their gene expression profile
