# SKIN BASEMENT MEMBRANE ZONE AND EPIDERMOLYSIS BULLOSA

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 1991 · $158,025

## Abstract

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the applicant's abstract):  Recent studies with
monoclonal antibodies have demonstrated both increasing complexity in the
antigenicity of the basement membrane zone (BMZ) of normal human skin and a
possible role for the abnormal expression of one or more of these antigens
in the pathogenesis of lesions in selected bullous diseases, most notably
inherited epidermolysis bullosa (EB).  In particular, the 19-DEJ-1
monoclonal antibody, which was produced during the first 3 years of funding
of this project, has proven to be the most sensitive and accurate probe
available for the diagnosis (both postnatal and prenatal) of all forms of
junctional EB.  During the next proposed funding period, six specific
objectives will be pursued with regard to the 19-DEJ-1 antigen:  (1) The
antigen will be isolated and purified from human tissues (skin, placenta,
other) and one or more cell lines (by chemical extraction and
immunoaffinity chromatography); (2) the nature of this antigen will be more
precisely characterized by a variety of biochemical, biophysical, and
immunological techniques (including immunoprecipitation, one and
two-dimensional PAGE, analysis of amino acid and carbohydrate composition,
peptide "fingerprinting" via chemical and enzymatic degradation, rotary
shadowing, and immunoblot {the latter via production of additional
blottable monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to the same antigen}); (3)
precise ultrastructural localization of the antigen within skin BMZs will
be achieved via immunoelectron microscopy and immunogold labeling
techniques; (4) comparative semi-quantitative assays of the antigen will be
performed on extracts of normal and junctional EB tissues and cultured
keratinocytes; (5) one or more of the 19-DEJ-1 antigen-specific antibodies
will be used to screen human placental and keratinocyte cDNA libraries
which have been inserted into lambda-gt 11 bacteriophage vectors; and (6)
selected in vitro studies will be performed to assess the possible
interactions between 19-DEJ-I antigen, other skin BMZ components, and
keratinocytes.  Collectively, these studies should better define not only
the biochemical composition of a novel hemidesmosome-associated component
of the skin lamina lucida but more importantly, its possible role in the
pathogenesis of altered mechanical stability of the epithelial-connective
tissue interface and blister formation in one of the severest forms of
inherited EB.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3156974
- **Project number:** 2R01AR034861-04A3
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **SAM.gov UEI:** D3LHU66KBLD5
- **Principal Investigator:** JO-DAVID J FINE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1991
- **Award amount:** $158,025
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1985-08-01 → 1994-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3156974

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3156974, SKIN BASEMENT MEMBRANE ZONE AND EPIDERMOLYSIS BULLOSA (2R01AR034861-04A3). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3156974. Licensed CC0.

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