Immunofluorescence techniques in dermatopathology.

The use of immunofluorescence in both diagnosis and research is well recognized in dermatology, dating from the description of the granular deposition along the dermo-epidermal junction in lesions of lupus erythematosus. Immunofluorescence techniques are an immunological method, which may be used to demonstrate cellular antigens, either in tissue section or cell suspension. The fluorescent dyes used routinely are fluorescein and rhodamine, which can be coupled to antibodies without destroying the specificity of the latter. Non-antibody proteins are removed by washing, and the resultant antigen-antibody complex formed is visualized using the fluorescence microscope.