[Mechanism of alopecia in patients with paraneoplastic pemphigus].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between the levels of antidesmoglein (DSG) 1, 3 antibodies in the sera of patients with paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) and alopecia.


METHODS
Sera from PNP patients, bullous pemphigoid patients, and normal healthy subjects were collected and 2 tissue samples from 2 healthy scalps were resected. Anti-DSG 1, 3 antibodies in the sera of PNP patients were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Indirect immunofluorescent assay was used to detect whether the antibodies in the sera of PNP patients binds with the follicular epithelium of normal healthy scalp.


RESULTS
Anti-DSG3 autoantibody was strongly positive and anti-DSG1 weakly positive in one patient, while both two antibodies were negative in the other patient. Their sera could bind to keratinocytes and follicular epithelium in human scalp. Immunofluorescent signals were found on the intercellular epidermal cell surface and outer root sheath of the follicular epithelium. However, the immunofluorescent signals in the section incubating with serum of bullous pemphigoid were only found on basal membrane zone. No signals were found in the section incubating with normal healthy serum.


CONCLUSIONS
Alopecia in PNP patients are correlated with the anti-DSG3.
Zuo
Ya-gang
YG
Department of Dermatology, PUMC Hospital, CAMS and PUMC, Beijing 100730, China.
Wang
Bao-xi
BX
Ma
Dong-lai
DL
Cao
Bing-qing
BQ
Zhao
Jing-hui
JH
Guo
Ying
Y
D000328:Adult; D000505:Alopecia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D051183:Desmoglein 1 / Q000276:immunology*; D051184:Desmoglein 3 / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010257:Paraneoplastic Syndromes / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology
D001323:Autoantibodies; D051183:Desmoglein 1; D051184:Desmoglein 3