# STEROID SULFATASE AND STRATUM CORNEUM CELL COHESION

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 1990 · $196,300

## Abstract

We plan to continue an investigation of steroid sulfatase, an enzyme that
appears to be of crucial importance in the normal programmed desquamation
of stratum corneum.  Full length cDNA coding for this enzyme will be cloned
and sequenced and then will be used as a probe to study the gene.  Specific
questions to be addressed will include (a) the nature of the inherited gene
defects that abrogate steroid sulfatase activity and thereby cause the skin
disease recessive X-linked ichthyosis, (b) the possible location of alleles
on the Y as well as X chromosome, and (c) patterns of DNA methylation that
may be specific to this gene when on active, as compared to inactive X
chromosomes, and when in tissues where the gene product is expressed, as
compared to tissues where it is not expressed.

The expertise developed during these studies will be applied to an
examination of the antigens to which autoimmune antibodies develop in the
acquired bullous diseases such as pemphigus.  These autoantibodies clearly
are the proximate cause of the blistering in at least some of these
diseases, but the antigens are poorly characterized.  Specifically, the
human autoantibodies will be used to select clones containing inserts
coding for the relevant antigens from a Lambdagt 11 expression library
constructed from cDNA prepared from epidermal mRNA.

The full cDNA sequences corresponding to the mRNAs will be sequenced, and
patients will be characterized according to the epitopes with which their
antibodies react.  In the long-term these studies will provide a better
understanding of the pathogenesis of these diseases and hopefully thereby
will lead to improved methods of treating them.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3155602
- **Project number:** 5R01AR028069-10
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **SAM.gov UEI:** KMH5K9V7S518
- **Principal Investigator:** Ervin HAROLD Epstein
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1990
- **Award amount:** $196,300
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1980-12-01 → 1991-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3155602

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3155602, STEROID SULFATASE AND STRATUM CORNEUM CELL COHESION (5R01AR028069-10). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3155602. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*