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Ortiz-Urda, S; Elbe-Bürger, A; Smolle, J; Marquart, Y; Chudnovsky, Y; Ridky, TW; Bernstein, P; Wolff, K; Rappersberger, K.
The plant lectin wheat germ agglutinin inhibits the binding of pemphigus foliaceus autoantibodies to desmoglein 1 in a majority of patients and prevents pathomechanisms of pemphigus foliaceus in vitro and in vivo.
J Immunol. 2003; 171(11):6244-6250 Doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.171.11.6244 [OPEN ACCESS]
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Co-Autor*innen der Med Uni Graz
Smolle Josef
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Abstract:
Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is a life-threatening autoimmune blistering skin disease caused by pathogenic IgG autoantibodies against desmoglein 1 (dg1), a desmosomal cadherin-type adhesion glycoprotein. Using lectins and glycosidases, we have shown that dg1 displays an N-glycosylation pattern of the complex triantennary type. We have found that lectins and glycosidases interfere with N-bound sugar residues on the amino-terminal ectodomain of dg1 and completely abolish, in vitro, the antigenicity of dg1 in most of the patients' sera. Moreover, in an ex vivo model using punch biopsies from normal human skin, we demonstrate that preincubation of the epidermis in wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) prevents PF autoantibody binding, acantholysis, and subcorneal blistering. In addition, we show that topical treatment with WGA inhibits PF autoantibody binding to keratinocytes in both newborn BALB/c mice and in organotypic human epidermis grafted onto the back of SCID mice. The epidermis of these pretreated animals displays a regular morphology, whereas control animals develop the immunopathologic phenotype of PF. These findings suggest that WGA may interfere with autoantibody binding to dg1, preventing experimental PF without affecting the adhesive function of dg1. Our observations may provide a new approach to the therapy of PF.
Find related publications in this database (using NLM MeSH Indexing)
Administration, Topical -
Animals -
Autoantibodies - administration and dosage
Autoantigens - administration and dosage
Binding Sites, Antibody - administration and dosage
Binding, Competitive - immunology
Cadherins - administration and dosage
Carbohydrates - immunology
Cells, Cultured - immunology
Desmoglein 1 - immunology
Disease Models, Animal - immunology
Glycosylation - immunology
Humans - immunology
Immune Sera - administration and dosage
Immunosuppressive Agents - administration and dosage
Injections, Intraperitoneal - administration and dosage
Mice - administration and dosage
Mice, Inbred BALB C - administration and dosage
Mice, SCID - administration and dosage
Organ Culture Techniques - administration and dosage
Pemphigus - immunology
Protein Binding - immunology
Transplantation, Heterologous - immunology
Wheat Germ Agglutinins - administration and dosage

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