title: Expression of pemphigus-autoantigen desmoglein 1 in human thymus.
abstract: Desmoglein (Dsg) 1 is a transmembrane glycoprotein of the desmosome allowing cell-cell adhesion between keratinocytes, whose expression is restricted to stratified squamous epithelia-like epidermis. Dsg1 is the target autoantigen of pathogenic autoantibodies produced by pemphigus foliaceus and 50% of pemphigus vulgaris patients in a Dsg1-specific T-cell-dependent pathway. Herewith, we show that mRNA of the DSG1 gene is present in normal human thymus and show by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis that the expression of DSG1 transcript increases with age. Although immunoblot analysis on human thymus extracts using different anti-Dsg1 antibodies did not allow to detect the protein, we show by double-immunofluorescence assay that Dsg1 is expressed at protein level by CD19+ CD63+ cells located in the medulla. These data provide another illustration of the thymic expression of a tissue-specific autoantigen involved in an organ-specific autoimmune disease, which may participate in the tolerance acquisition and/or regulation of Dsg1-specific T cells.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U905, Institut Fédératif de Recherche 23, Rouen, France.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mouquet
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berrih-Aknin
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bismuth
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Joly
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tron
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015551:Autoimmunity; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D051183:Desmoglein 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001324:Autoantigens; D051183:Desmoglein 1