title: Plectin, an unusual target antigen in bullous pemphigoid.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a blistering disease associated with autoantibodies directed against two components of hemidesmosomes, BP180 and BP230.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether BP patients have autoantibodies targeting plectin, another hemidesmosomal component showing extensive homology to BP230.
  
  
  METHODS
  Examination of sera from 16 patients with BP, using immunoprecipitation studies followed by immunoblotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum of one of the 16 (6%) patients with BP contain autoantibodies binding to plectin, while no reactivity was found with sera from three control subjects. Sera from all 16 BP patients immunoprecipitated BP230 from extracts of biosynthetically radiolabelled human keratinocytes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that sera from BP patients might contain autoantibodies binding to plectin. Although this protein and BP230 are closely sequence-related, the occurrence of autoantibodies binding to plectin is a rare phenomenon in BP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hôpital Cantonal Universitaire, Rue Micheli du Crest 26 CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Laffitte
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Favre
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fontao
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Riou
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jaunin
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tamm
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Saurat
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Borradori
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003094:Collagen / Q000276:immunology; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D000071821:Dystonin; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D024041:Non-Fibrillar Collagens; D010391:Pemphigoid, Bullous / Q000276:immunology*; D051190:Plectin; D015531:Radioimmunoprecipitation Assay; D000097805:Collagen Type XVII
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003094:Collagen; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D000071821:Dystonin; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D024041:Non-Fibrillar Collagens; D051190:Plectin; D000097805:Collagen Type XVII; C486268:DST protein, human; C495332:PLEC protein, human