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Immunomapping of EBA sera to multiple epitopes on collagen VII: further evidence that anchoring fibrils originate and terminate in the lamina densa
Author(s) -
McMillan James R.,
Matsumura Tetsuri,
Hashimoto Takashi,
Schumann Hans,
BrucknerTuderman Leena,
Shimizu Hiroshi
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
experimental dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.108
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1600-0625
pISSN - 0906-6705
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-0625.2003.120305.x
Subject(s) - anchoring fibrils , lamina densa , epitope , lamina , collagen fibril , fibril , macula densa , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , anatomy , biology , immunology , antibody , biochemistry , ultrastructure , endocrinology , renin–angiotensin system , blood pressure
Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) is an autoimmune blistering disease with circulating antibodies to type VII collagen, a major component of anchoring fibrils located at the dermal‐epidermal junction. The purpose of this study was to further confirm the ultrastructural organisation of anchoring fibrils and to assess the relationship between the clinical phenotype of EBA and target site of their autoantibodies on anchoring fibrils. We studied the ultrastructural binding site of circulating autoantibodies from two patients with atypical clinical features who predominantly presented with oral lesions, and compared this with two patients with clinically typical forms of EBA. Immunoblotting of whole dermal extracts showed labelling of 290‐kDa bands consistent with that of type VII collagen as well as the non‐collagenous (NC‐1) domain fusion protein in three out of four patients' sera. Postembedding immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) using Lowicryl K11M embedded normal human skin and patients' sera demonstrated the majority of labelling within the lamina densa, not below the lamina densa. We conclude that EBA autoantibodies in these patient's sera bind to the NC‐1 domain of collagen VII situated in the lamina densa of the epidermal basement membrane, regardless of the EBA clinical phenotype. This confirms the previous notion that anchoring fibrils originate and terminate in the lamina densa.