Background:
@EN Pemphigus are chronic autoimmune blistering disorders characterized by acantholysis. In addition to pemphigus vulgaris(PV), the major clinical variants are pemphigus foliaceus(PF), paraneoplastic pemphigus(PNP) and drug-induced pemphigus(DP).
Detection of pemphigus antigen is important for differential diagnosis as well as research work.
Most investigators have identified pemphigus antigens by means of immunoprecipitation using metabolically radiolabeled cultured keratinocytes. However, immunoprecipitation is generally more expensive, hazardus and time-consuming than
immunoblotting.
Therefore, establishment of the immunoblotting as a standard technique for the detection of the pemphigus antigens is desirable.
@ES Objective:
@EN To characterize the pemphigus antigens by an immunoblotting analysis of human epidermal extract and by indirect immunofluroscence study using human cultured keratinocytes as a substrate.
@ES Methods:
@EN We performed immunoblotting analysis of sera from patients with PV, PF, PNP and DP with human epidermal extract as a source of antigen, Indirect immunofluorescence study was also performed using human keratinocytes cultured in high or low
calcium
media for detection of pemphigus antigens.
@ES Results:
@EN In an immunoblotting analysis, all(9/9) PV sera showed specific reactivities with a 130-KD protein and all(5/5) PF sera showed reactivities with a 150-KD protein, which is most likely desmoglein 1. Furthermore, one of mine PV serum also
reacted
with
a 150-KD protein, which seems to be the identical antigen detected in PF. All PNF(3/3) sera showed reactivities with two protein bands, 210KD and 190KD. In our indirect immunofluorescence study using cultured human keratinocytes as a substrate,
when
keratinocytes were growth in low calcium media, no pemphigus antigens could be detected. However, when grown in high calcium media, pemphigus vulgaris and papaneoplastic pemphigus antigens were present at the cell-cell contact areas with a
punctate
pattern, whereas pemphigus foliaceus antigen was not present in keratinocytes even when cultured in high calcium media.
@ES Conclusion:
@EN Our results suggests (1) immunoblotting analysis is a reliable technique for defining pemphigus antigen and could be a valuable tool for the differentiation of PV, PF and PNF and(2)PF antigen may not be eypressed in cultured keratinocytes.
(Kor
J
Dermatol 1993 ; 31(3) : 380-386)
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