title: [Mechanism of alopecia in patients with paraneoplastic pemphigus].
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, PUMC Hospital, CAMS and PUMC, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Ya-gang
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.forename: Bao-xi
authors.initials: BX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Dong-lai
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Bing-qing
authors.initials: BQ
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Jing-hui
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D051183:Desmoglein 1; D051184:Desmoglein 3