Analysis of antigens recognized by autoantibodies in herpes gestationis. Usefulness of immunoblotting using a fusion protein representing an extracellular domain of the 180 kD bullous pemphigoid antigen.
Herpes gestationis (HG) is a rare pregnancy-associated disease. The aim of this study was to compare various immunohistochemical and immunobiochemical techniques with respect to their diagnostic sensitivity for HG. We studied 43 HG sera; only half of these reacted with the basement membrane zone (BMZ) with both indirect immunofluorescence (IF) and complement IF of normal human skin. 81% of the sera reacted with the epidermal side of 1 M NaCl-split skin. In general, titers of anti-BMZ antibodies in HG sera were lower than those in bullous pemphigoid (BP) sera. Immunoblot analysis of human epidermal extracts showed that 51% of HG sera recognized the 180 kD BP antigen (BP180) and 26% recognized the 230 kD BP antigen (BP230). We also studied the reactivity of HG sera with fusion proteins representing either the NC16a domain of human BP180 or the C-terminal region of mouse BP230. Whereas 79% of HG sera reacted with the BP180 fusion protein, only 5% recognized the BP230 fusion protein. Our results suggest that indirect IF of 1 M NaCl-split skin and immunoblotting of a fusion protein representing the BP180 NC16a domain are more sensitive techniques for the diagnosis of HG than conventional and complement IF or immunoblotting of crude epidermal extracts.
Murakami
H
H
Department of Dermatology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Amagai
M
M
Higashiyama
M
M
Hashimoto
K
K
Chorzelski
T P
TP
Bhogal
B S
BS
Jenkins
R E
RE
Black
M M
MM
Zillikens
D
D
Nishikawa
T
T
Hashimoto
T
T
D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000276:immunology; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D000071821:Dystonin; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D051379:Mice; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D024041:Non-Fibrillar Collagens; D006559:Pemphigoid Gestationis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology*; D010391:Pemphigoid, Bullous / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology; D000097805:Collagen Type XVII
D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D000071821:Dystonin; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D024041:Non-Fibrillar Collagens; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D000097805:Collagen Type XVII; C486268:DST protein, human