# PURIFICATION OF EPIDERMOLYSIS BULLOSA ANTIGEN

> **NIH NIH R01** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 1993 · $208,723

## Abstract

Dystrophic forms of epidermolysis bullosa (EB) include an acquired type
of EB (EBA) and two genetic types, dominant (DDEB) and recessive (RDEB).
These patients all have chronic blistering and scarring diseases of the
skin that may look clinically similar.  The blisters are due to a
separation at the basement membrane zone between the epidermis and dermis
of skin and are associated with a lack of anchoring fibrils, structures
made of type VII collagen (i.e., "the EBA antigen"), thought to be
critical for epidermal-dermal cohesion.  In EBA, anchoring fibril
collagen is the target for autoantibodies, while autoantibodies do not
play a role in genetic EB.  Although the etiologies of these 3 diseases
are almost certainly different, we hypothesize that each disease is
characterized by abnormalities in type VII collagen.  We further
hypothesize that in EBA, the abnormal type VII collagen elicits an
autoimmune response, while in DDEB and RDEB, the molecules form
structurally unstable anchoring fibrils.  We plan to characterize the
type VII collagen in EB patients and normal individuals at the both the
protein and genetic level.  Using our cDNA probes for type VII (anchoring
fibril) collagen, we will determine the antigenic epitopes of the
molecule, characterize the nucleic acid and amino acid sequences of the
full-length molecule, determine the genomic organization of the molecule,
determine the expression of the molecule by keratinocytes derived from
normal individuals and EB patients at the protein and mRNA level and in
response to tretinoin and anti-sense oligonucleotides, and characterize
the putative structural alterations in type VII collagen using amino acid
and cDNA sequencing.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3156595
- **Project number:** 2R01AR033625-10A1
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** KG76WYENL5K1
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID T. WOODLEY
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1993
- **Award amount:** $208,723
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1990-03-01 → 1997-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3156595

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3156595, PURIFICATION OF EPIDERMOLYSIS BULLOSA ANTIGEN (2R01AR033625-10A1). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3156595. Licensed CC0.

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