title: Characterization of BALB/c mice B lymphocyte autoimmune responses to skin basement membrane component type XVII collagen, the target antigen of autoimmune skin disease bullous pemphigoid.
abstract: Bullous pemphigoid is an autoimmune blistering skin disease characterized by IgG autoantibodies targeting the skin basement membrane component type XVII collagen (BPAg2). To gain understanding of the disease's induction phase, we subcutaneously immunized adult BALB/c mice with peptides of human and/or the murine-equivalent BPAg2 pathogenic NC16A domain. Female mice were injected with peptides (human, murine, or combined human and murine), or PBS control emulsified in CFA, on a four-week interval. At the fourth and subsequent immunizations, all peptide-immunized mice were given murine peptides. Two weeks after the sixth immunization, ELISA detected IgG circulating autoantibodies against self peptides in 92% (47/51) of mice immunized with murine peptides; whereas none of the preimmune sera or the sera from PBS control-immunized mice reacted to the self peptides. In four mice their autoantibodies labeled mouse skin basement membrane. Breaking B-cell tolerance to BPAg2 sets the first step in dissecting the disease's induction phase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University Medical School, 675 N. St. Clair Street, Suite 19-150, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000276:immunology; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003094:Collagen / Q000276:immunology*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D000071821:Dystonin; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D024041:Non-Fibrillar Collagens; D010391:Pemphigoid, Bullous / Q000276:immunology*; D010449:Peptide Mapping; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology*; D000097805:Collagen Type XVII
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003094:Collagen; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D000071821:Dystonin; D000939:Epitopes; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D024041:Non-Fibrillar Collagens; D000097805:Collagen Type XVII; C486268:DST protein, human; C095667:Dst protein, mouse