1. ^*Department of Dermatology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
2. ^‡Institute for Clinical Biochemistry and Pathobiochemistry, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
3. ^†Department of Dermatology, Kurume University, Kurume, Japan

Correspondence: Detlef Zillikens, MD, Department of Dermatology, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Strasse 2, 97080 Würzburg, Germany. Email: zillikens_d@klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de

Received 19 March 2003; Revised 16 May 2003; Accepted 20 June 2003; Published online 8 December 2003.

Abstract

Anti-p200 pemphigoid is an autoimmune subepidermal blistering disease characterized by autoantibodies to a 200-kDa protein (p200) of the dermal–epidermal junction (DEJ). p200 has been demonstrated to be distinct from all major DEJ autoantigens and is thought to be important for cell-matrix adhesion. This study provides the first biochemical characterization of p200. Differential extraction experiments demonstrated that efficient recovery of p200 from the dermis was strongly dependent on the presence of reducing agents, suggesting that it forms highly insoluble oligomers and/or is extensively cross-linked to other extracellular matrix components by disulfide bonding. p200 was resistant to digestion with bacterial collagenase, whereas this treatment did degrade major collagenous proteins of the dermis, including type I, VI, and VII collagen. This finding firmly established the noncollagenous nature of p200. N-Glycosidase F reduced the molecular size of the p200 autoantigen from 200 to 190 kDa without decreasing its immunoreactivity. In contrast, digestion of p200 with neuraminidase, O-glycosidase, chondroitinase ABC, and heparitinase I had no effect on its electrophoretic mobility. These data suggest that the p200 molecule contains N-glycans but lacks O-linked oligosaccharides and chondroitin/heparan sulfate side chains. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis demonstrated that p200 is an acidic protein with an isoelectric point of 5.4 to 5.6. Six different p200-specific sera recognized an identical protein spot of two-dimensionally separated dermal extracts, confirming that patients with this novel autoimmune disease indeed form a single pathobiochemical entity.