Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
IgG autoantibodies against desmoglein 3 cause skin cell separation
By Nishifuji, Koji et al.·Published in Veterinary immunology and immunopathology·2007·Department of Dermatology, Japan·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: IgG autoantibodies directed against desmoglein 3 cause dissociation of keratinocytes in canine pemphigus vulgaris and paraneoplastic pemphigus.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old dog with pemphigus vulgaris, an autoimmune skin disease, was found to have antibodies that attack a specific protein in the skin, leading to painful blisters. These antibodies disrupt the connections between skin cells, causing the skin to separate and form lesions. The study showed that when normal skin cells were exposed to serum from affected dogs, the cells lost their adhesion, confirming the role of these antibodies in the disease. Understanding this can help veterinarians develop better treatments for dogs suffering from this condition.
People also search for: dog pemphigus vulgaris treatment · autoimmune skin disease in dogs · dog skin blisters causes
Abstract
Pemphigus is a group of autoimmune blistering diseases of the skin and mucous membranes. In human patients with pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP), IgG autoantibodies against desmoglein (Dsg) 3 and Dsg1 play pathogenic roles in blister formation. In contrast, the target for IgG autoantibodies that induce keratinocyte dissociation has not been elucidated in canine pemphigus. The aim of the present study was to determine whether anti-Dsg IgG autoantibodies are present and disrupt the cell-cell adhesion of keratinocytes in canine PV and PNP. The extracellular domains of canine Dsg3 were recognized by IgG in 3/5 (60%) canine PV sera tested. IgG against the extracellular domains of canine Dsg1 was detected exclusively in two dogs that had PV with the mucocutaneous phenotype. In addition, anti-Dsg3 IgG was identified in canine PNP serum. Furthermore, incubation of normal human keratinocytes (NHK) with mucocutaneous canine PV serum and canine PNP serum resulted in dissociation of the NHK sheets, whereas the removal of anti-Dsg3 IgG from these canine sera blocked this dissociation. The present study indicates for the first time that circulating anti-Dsg3 IgG antibodies capable of dissociating keratinocytes are present in dogs with PV and PNP.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17350107/