Unique mouse monoclonal antibodies reactive with maturation-related epitopes on type VII collagen.

In this study, we generated a new set of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to bovine and human type VII collagen (COL7) by immunizing mice with bovine cornea-derived basement membrane zone (BMZ) fraction. The four mAbs, tentatively named as COL7-like mAbs, showed speckled subepidermal staining in addition to linear BMZ staining of normal human skin and bovine cornea, a characteristic immunofluorescence feature of COL7, but showed no reactivity with COL7 by in vitro biochemical analyses. Taking advantage of the phenomenon that COL7-like mAbs did not react with mouse BMZ, we compared immunofluorescence reactivity between wild-type and COL7-rescued humanized mice and found that COL7-like mAbs reacted with BMZ of COL7-rescued humanized mice.

Clinical and immunological profiles of anti-BP230-type bullous pemphigoid: Restriction of epitopes to the C-terminal domain of BP230, shown by novel ELISAs of BP230-domain specific recombinant proteins.

Objectives: To confirm that sera from some BP patients reactive exclusively to the BP230 and to study the clinical and immunological characteristics of this condition.

Materials And Methods: BP patients were divided into three groups: BP reactive only to BP230 (BP230-BP), BP reactive to both BP180 and BP230 (BP180-BP230-BP) and BP reactive only to BP180 (BP180-BP), based on the results of standard ELISAs for BP180 and BP230. Clinical features were statistically analyzed among the three groups.

Human dermal fibroblast migration induced by fibronectin in autocrine and paracrine manners.

Although fibronectin (FN) is known as a chemoattractant for human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), it is unclear whether HDF migration is stimulated by FN produced by HDFs (autocrine manner) or by keratinocytes (paracrine manner). In this study, we investigated HDF migration by Boyden chamber assay using conditioned media from HDFs and HaCaT cells (keratinocyte cell line). Immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that FN existed in both conditioned media.

B-cell activating factor detected on both naïve and memory B cells in bullous pemphigoid.

B-cell activating factor (BAFF), an important immune regulatory cytokine, is involved in development of autoimmune diseases. Although BAFF is expressed in various cells, including dendritic cells (DCs) and monocytes, BAFF expression on B cells has not been well documented. In the present study, BAFF molecules on DCs and naïve and memory B cells in autoimmune bullous diseases, including pemphigus vulgaris, pemphigus foliaceus and bullous pemphigoid (BP), were analysed by flow cytometry.

Diagnosis of oral mucous membrane pemphigoid by means of combined serologic testing.

Objective: Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is a rare autoimmune bullous disease caused by various autoantibodies. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of MMP-specific autoantibodies in patient sera.

Study Design: We analyzed sera from 30 MMP-suspected patients with intractable oral mucosal lesions using a combination of indirect immunofluorescence with 1M NaCl-split skin, immunoblot analysis, and ELISAs.