High-dose pemphigus antibodies against linear epitopes of desmoglein 3 (Dsg3) can induce acantholysis and depletion of Dsg3 from keratinocytes.

Abstract

We have previously demonstrated that serum autoantibodies of patients with pemphigus vulgaris (PV) may affect desmoglein 3 (Dsg3)-mediated adhesion by decreasing its half-life and inducing Dsg3 cleavage. Here we sought to gain more insights into the role of Dsg3-targetting IgG in acantholysis. To do so, alterations of keratinocyte morphology and cell-cell adhesion strength were investigated in the presence of PV serum, PV IgG, and IgG purified from PV patients' sera against linear epitopes of Dsg3 (anti-Dsg3-L IgG). Changes in Dsg3 protein levels were assessed by Western blotting. Results showed that both PV serum and PV IgG were able to induce acantholysis and decrease the total amount of D..