Pemphigus vulgaris is a severe blistering disease characterized by a circulating IgG which binds to an unknown epidermal cell antigen and causes epidermal disadherance. The disease was uniformly fatal prior to the discovery that high dose corticosteroid therapy would induce a remission in most patients. However, steroid therapy has many well known complications, and a more specific therapy would be of great value. Pemphigus antigen is a cell surface glycoprotein which is expressed as early as 9 weeks gestational age on epidermal cells, on some epidermal carcinoma such as A431, and on human amnionic membranes. The size of pemphigus antigen is known to be 210 Kd by immunoprecipitation of epidermal cell extracts with pemphigus IgG but is reduced to 130 Kd and 80 Kd bands on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Large scale purification of the antigen has not been accomplished to date using conventional methods. We propose to screen a human cDNA expression library made from human amnion and placenta messenger RNA using purified labeled pemphigus antibody as a probe. We hope thereby to identify bacterial clones which express pemphigus antigens in vitro. Analysis of such clones would enable us to derive the amino acid sequence for all or part of the pemphigus antigen, to isolate and study its gene(s) and to study the expression and regulation of this epidermal cell surface glycoprotein.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Type
First Independent Research Support & Transition (FIRST) Awards (R29)
Project #
5R29AR036546-02
Application #
3456681
Study Section
General Medicine A Subcommittee 2 (GMA)
Project Start
1986-08-01
Project End
1991-07-31
Budget Start
1987-08-01
Budget End
1988-07-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1987
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Texas Health Science Center Houston
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
City
Houston
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
77225
Schroeder, W T; Stewart-Galetka, S; Mandavilli, S et al. (1994) Cloning and characterization of a novel epidermal cell surface antigen (ESA). J Biol Chem 269:19983-91
Mahoney, S E; Paddock, S W; Smith, L C et al. (1994) Three-dimensional laser-scanning confocal microscopy of in situ hybridization in the skin. Am J Dermatopathol 16:44-51
Mahoney, S E; Duvic, M; Nickoloff, B J et al. (1991) Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transcripts identified in HIV-related psoriasis and Kaposi's sarcoma lesions. J Clin Invest 88:174-85
Duvic, M; Hordinsky, M K; Fiedler, V C et al. (1991) HLA-D locus associations in alopecia areata. DRw52a may confer disease resistance. Arch Dermatol 127:64-8
Schroeder, W T; Siciliano, M J; Stewart-Galetka, S L et al. (1991) The human gene for an epidermal surface antigen (M17S1) is located at 17q11-12. Genomics 11:481-2
Duvic, M (1991) In situ hybridization. Clin Dermatol 9:129-35
Konohana, A; Konohana, I; Schroeder, W T et al. (1990) Placental glutathione-S-transferase-pi mRNA is abundantly expressed in human skin. J Invest Dermatol 95:119-26
Goldstein, R; Duvic, M; Targoff, I N et al. (1990) HLA-D region genes associated with autoantibody responses to histidyl-transfer RNA synthetase (Jo-1) and other translation-related factors in myositis. Arthritis Rheum 33:1240-8
Konohana, I; Konohana, A; Xia, P Z et al. (1988) Expression of pemphigus vulgaris antigen in cultured human keratinocytes: effect of inhibitors, tunicamycin, and lectins. J Invest Dermatol 90:708-15