Virulent strains of Staphylococcus hyicus can cause exudative epidermitis in pigs. The major symptom of this disease is exfoliation of the skin in the upper stratum spinosum. Exfoliation of the skin is strongly associated with exfoliative toxin including ExhA, ExhB, ExhC, ExhD, SHETA, and SHETB. Recently, genes for ExhA, ExhB, ExhC and ExhD were cloned. Exfoliative toxins produced by S. aureus ...

Here we report a new method of isolating epidermal desmosomes from Xenopus laevis, and a major constituent of desmosomes designated as Xenopus desmogleins (XDsg). Isolation of desmosomes from Xenopus laevis epidermis was carried out by a two step-incubation with different concentrations of NP-40. After discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugation at 30,000 g for 60 min, a pure desmosomal fract...

Acanthosis nigricans – an ill-defined, velvety, hyperpigmented plaque involving the fold of the skin, including the axilla, neck and groin Atrichia – absence of hair Atrophoderma – atrophy of the skin Blepharitis – inflammation of the eyelids Cicatricial alopecia – scarring alopecia Copy number variations – DNA segments with 1 kb or more of gains or losses Corneodesmosin – a protein found in co...

A 6-month-old Japanese boy developed quickly progressing generalised skin lesions. Vaccination was not given in previous 4 weeks. Physical examination revealed extensive annular plaques with blisters and excoriations on entire body (Fig. 1). Laboratory examinations showed increases in leucocytes (32,500/μl; normal, 3,900–9,300/μl), eosinophils (40.5%; normal, 0.2–4.1%) and C-reacting protein (1...

Pemphigus is a severe life-threatening blistering disease associated with autoantibodies against cell adhesion proteins desmogleins 1 and 3. Patients with severe pemphigus commonly show high rates of relapse after conventional immunosuppressive therapy. The newly developed drug Rituximab showed impressing promises in the treatment of refractory pemphigus vulgaris (PV). In the present study the ...

There remain major gaps in our knowledge regarding the detailed mechanisms by which autoantibodies mediate damage at the tissue level. We have undertaken novel strategies at the interface of engineering and clinical medicine to integrate nanoscale visual and structural data using nanorobotic atomic force microscopy with cell functional analyses to reveal previously unattainable details of autoi...

Pemphigus is a group of autoimmune blistering diseases. There had been abundant evidence that antibodies against components within the desmosomes were responsible for its pathogenesis. The major antigens in pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus are desmoglein 3 (130 kDa) and desmoglein 1 (160 kDa) respectively. They are glycoproteins belonging to the cadherin family and form part of the tr...

The keratin intermediate filament network is abundant in epithelial cells, but its function in the establishment and maintenance of cell polarity is unclear. Here, we show that Albatross complexes with Par3 to regulate formation of the apical junctional complex (AJC) and maintain lateral membrane identity. In nonpolarized epithelial cells, Albatross localizes with keratin filaments, whereas in ...

BACKGROUND Pemphigus is a chronic autoimmune bullous disorder characterized by autoantibodies directed against desmoglein 3 and/or 1. Demonstration of intercellular deposition of IgG on the cell surface of keratinocytes by direct immunofluorescence (DIF) of the skin is the gold standard in the diagnosis of pemphigus. Recently, DIF of plucked hair demonstrating intercellular deposition of IgG in...