180-kDa bullous pemphigoid antigen defective generalized atrophic benign epidermolysis bullosa: report of four cases with an unusually mild phenotype.
Generalized atrophic benign epidermolysis bullosa (GABEB) is a rare variant of non-lethal junctional epidermolysis bullosa characterized by generalized skin blistering healing with atrophy and by atrophic alopecia with onset in childhood. Other features include mild mucosal blistering, dental abnormalities and nail dystrophy. We report four additional cases of GABEB from two families originating from the same isolated village. The patients shared an unusually mild clinical phenotype with cutaneous blisters strictly limited to trauma sites and rare occurrence of oral mucosal lesions. Scalp, eyelash and eyebrow alopecia was present in only two cases. Immunofluorescence studies showed a markedly reduced expression of the 180-kDa bullous pemphigoid antigen (BP180), and northern analysis of cultured keratinocytes indicated that the gene encoding for BP180 is affected in these GABEB patients.
VIII Department of Dermatology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
C
C
Mazzanti
T
T
Gobello
P
P
Posteraro
M
M
Paradisi
G
G
Meneguzzi
L
L
Chinni
G
G
Zambruno
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000032:analysis*; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003094:Collagen; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D000071821:Dystonin; D016109:Epidermolysis Bullosa, Junctional / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D024041:Non-Fibrillar Collagens; D010375:Pedigree; D010641:Phenotype; D012867:Skin / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000097805:Collagen Type XVII
D001324:Autoantigens; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003094:Collagen; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D000071821:Dystonin; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D024041:Non-Fibrillar Collagens; D000097805:Collagen Type XVII; C486268:DST protein, human