Autoimmunity against corneal antigens. II. Accessibility of the 54 kD corneal antigen for circulating antibodies.

Autoantibodies against corneal epithelium antigens are frequently found in patients with corneal diseases, but also in patients with uveitis. To investigate whether these autoantibodies play a primary role in the pathogenesis of corneal disease we studied the distribution of a 54 kD corneal antigen (isolated in a previous study) within the eye. Animal experiments were performed to determine the accessibility of this antigen by its corresponding antibody.