# ANTIGENS RECOGNIZED BY PEMPHIGUS AUTOANTIBODIES

> **NIH NIH R01** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 1988 · $146,553

## Abstract

The program described in this application is aimed at determining
the causative factors involved in the blistering skin disease
pemphigus.  These studies are based on our initial findings that
pemphigus patients contain circulating autoantibodies directed
against components associated with the desmosomes of stratified
epithelial tissues.  The specific aims of this proposal are to
continue these studies by determining the precise cellular sites
recognized by these autoantibodies using morphological,
biochemical, immunochemical and physiological methods.  The
morphological methods which we will use will include
immunofluorescence, immunogold localization for ultrastructural
studies, and double label immunofluorescence techniques.  These
will be applied to both thin cryostat sections of various tissues
including human biopsy material and cultured keratinocytes.  The
biochemical analyses will involve the isolation of desmosomes.
These desmosomes will be used as substrates for the 'Western'
immunoblotting procedure which will permit the identification of
pemphigus autoantibodies which recognize desmosome associated
components.  Affinity procedures will be used to purify these
antibodies from human serum samples and the resulting
monospecific antibodies will, in turn be used to determine if these
autoantibodies are factors involved in the loss of cell cohesion in
the disease.  Other studies will be aimed at determining whether
or not there are different autoantibodies involved in the major
variants of the disease, pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus
foliaceus.  Attempts will be made to prepare rabbit antibodies
against desmosome associated proteins recognized by
autoantibodies in the two variants of the disease and determine
whether or not these can mimic pemphigus autoantibodies.
Finally we will attempt to prepare monoclonal human antibodies
by fusing peripheral blood lymphocytes from blood samples of
patients with pemphigus to a human-mouse heteromyeloma line.
The long term goal of these studies is to determine the causative
factors in pemphigus and to provide new insights into the
cellular/molecular basis of the disease.  Ultimately this
information may be important in determining the therapeutic
regimens of pemphigus patients.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3157724
- **Project number:** 1R01AR036740-01A3
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** KG76WYENL5K1
- **Principal Investigator:** ROBERT D GOLDMAN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1988
- **Award amount:** $146,553
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 1988-08-01 → 1991-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3157724

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3157724, ANTIGENS RECOGNIZED BY PEMPHIGUS AUTOANTIBODIES (1R01AR036740-01A3). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3157724. Licensed CC0.

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