In This Issue . . .

The article introduces research papers included in the September 1992 issue of "Journal of Investigative Dermatology." In this issue of the journal main focus has been drawn towards the study of bullous pemphigoid (BP) which is an autoimmune disorder associated with subepidermal blistering and disruption of interactions between basal keratinocytes and the cutaneous basement membrane. Sera from affected individuals contain antibodies that recognize two distinct antigenic elements of the hemidesmosome. In this issue three papers fully analyze the composition of the BP180 antigen.