1. Expression of pemphigus-autoantigen desmoglein 1 in human thymus.
- Author
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Mouquet, H., Berrih-Aknin, S., Bismuth, J., Joly, P., Gilbert, D., and Tron, F.
- Subjects
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ANTIGENS , *PEMPHIGUS , *HLA histocompatibility antigens , *T cells , *MESSENGER RNA , *THYMUS , *AUTOIMMUNITY - 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008
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