title: Rat bladder epithelium: a sensitive substrate for indirect immunofluorescence of bullous pemphigoid.
abstract: Serological diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid is based on immunoblotting or indirect immunofluorescence on normal human salt-split skin. These methods are expensive or time-consuming and not available as a routine test in all laboratories. We used rat bladder epithelium as substrate for indirect immunofluorescence and compared it with other substrates and with immunoblotting. Twenty-nine bullous pemphigoid sera were studied on rat bladder epithelium, monkey oesophagus, salt-split skin and with immunoblotting on human keratinocyte cultures. Indirect immunofluorescence on rat bladder epithelium proved to be more sensitive (72%) than on monkey oesophagus alone (45%) and less sensitive than on salt-split skin (97%). Rat bladder epithelium, when tested on 41 sera of a control group, showed a very high specificity: 2/41 (95%). In combination with immunoblotting on keratinocyte extracts, indirect immunofluorescence on rat bladder epithelium allowed 93% of sera to be recognized, a value close to the salt-split skin alone. Rat bladder epithelium appears to be a more sensitive substrate than monkey oesophagus for the diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid and, although less specific, it is easier and faster than using salt-split skin, which remains indispensable to distinguish bullous pemphigoid from epidermolysis bullosa acquisita.
authors.affiliation: DISEM, Section of Dermatology, University of Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Delmonte
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cozzani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drosera
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parodi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rebora
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000276:immunology; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D000071821:Dystonin; D004848:Epithelium; D004947:Esophagus / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / Q000379:methods*; D000882:Haplorhini; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D015603:Keratinocytes; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D024041:Non-Fibrillar Collagens; D010257:Paraneoplastic Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D010391:Pemphigoid, Bullous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012698:Serologic Tests; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000166:cytology*; D000097805:Collagen Type XVII
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; 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