Desmosomes are unique intercellular junctions in that they invariably contain two types of transmembrane cadherin molecule, desmocollins and desmogleins. In addition they possess a distinct cytoplasmic plaque structure containing a few major proteins including desmoplakins and the armadillo family member plakoglobin. Desmosomal cadherins are putative cell-cell adhesion molecules and we have tes...

OBJECTIVE To examine the frequency of antidesmoglein 1 (Dsg1) and antidesmoglein 3 (Dsg3) IgA autoantibodies in IgA pemphigus. DESIGN We developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay against recombinant Dsg1 and Dsg3 to detect IgA autoantibodies. PATIENTS Twenty-two patients with IgA pemphigus were studied. Among them, 10 patients had subcorneal pustular dermatosis type, 9 patients had int...

pemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune disease, in which the role of th17 cytokines needs to be further explored. this study was performed to assess serum levels of three interleukins (il) required for th17 differentiation (il-1β, il-6 and il-23) and two specific th17 cytokines (il-17 and il-22) in a group of patients with pemphigus vulgaris, at baseline, 3 weeks and 6 months after of treatment. c...

PURPOSE The expression of desmogleins (DSGs), which are known to be crucial for establishing and maintaining the cell-cell adhesion required for tissue integrity, has been well characterized in the epidermis and hair follicle; however, their expression in other epithelial tissues such as prostate is poorly understood. Although downregulation of classical cadherins, such as E-cadherin, has been ...

BACKGROUND Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an immunoglobulin G-mediated autoimmune bullous skin disease. Nonorgan-specific antibodies were detected in Tunisian and Brazilian pemphigus patients with different prevalence. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty PV patients and fifty controls were screened for antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), anti-smooth muscle antibodies (ASMAs), anti-parietal antibodies (APAs), ...

BACKGROUND Endemic pemphigus foliaceus (EPF) is an autoimmune disease, classically occurring in a restricted geographic area. Foci of EPF have been described in several Central and South American countries, often affecting young people and Amerindians, with some female predilection. Although most American EPF cases have been documented in Brazil, cases have been reported in Peru, Paraguay, El S...

T he removal of a single tyrosine residue from the C terminus of ␣-tubulin dramatically affects microtubules and their depolymerizing motors, say < a d d a r t t y p e = " r e l " d o i = " 1 0. 1 0 8 3 / j c b. 2 0 0 9 0 2 1 4 2 " > Peris et al.< / a d d a r t > ␣-tubulin undergoes a cycle of tyrosine removal and readdition, catalyzed by a carboxypeptidase and tubulin tyrosine ligase (TTL). Mi...

Men and women differ in their susceptibility to sexually transmittable infections (STIs) such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, a paucity of published information regarding the tissue structure of the human genital tract has limited our understanding of these gender differences. We collected cervical, vaginal, and penile tissues from human adult donors. Tissues were prepared with ...

The desmogleins are a family of cadherins cell-cell adhesion molecules consisting of proteins DSG1, DSG2, DSG3, and DSG4. They play a role in the formation of desmosomes, which form the major types of intercellular adhesive junctions. DSGs are currently thought to be involved in autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and inherited diseases. Patients with pemphigus, an autoimmune blistering d...