The extracellular domain of BPAG2 has a loop structure in the carboxy terminal flexible tail in vivo

The 180 kDa bullous pemphigoid antigen is a hemidesmosome-associated transmembranous protein with a molecule length estimated to be 190-230 nm, which is much longer than the transverse length of the lamina lucida and lamina densa. The purpose of this study was to clarify the precise in vivo structure of the 180 kDa bullous pemphigoid antigen in normal human skin. We used three monoclonal antibodies directed to (i) the intracellular globular head of the 180 kDa bullous pemphigoid antigen, (ii) the mid-portion of the flexible tail of the antigen, corresponding approximately to amino acids 1000-1320, and (iii) the carboxyl terminal end, corresponding approximately to amino acids 1320-1500 of the antigen. Using low temperature postembedding immunoelectron microscopy, we quantitated the distribution of immunogold labeling of these monoclonal antibodies in normal human skin. The results showed that the monoclonal antibodies (i) bound to the intracellular portion of the hemidesmosome at a mean distance of 20 nm from the plasma membrane, (ii) bound to the lamina densa beneath the hemidesmosome at a mean distance of 65 nm from the plasma membrane, and (iii) bound to the lamina densa-lamina lucida interface at a mean distance of 39 nm from the plasma membrane. Considering the reported size of the 180 kDa bullous pemphigoid antigen, our results indicate that the extracellular domain of the antigen has at least one loop structure in the lamina densa in vivo. This unique structure of the antigen is thought to contribute to dermo- epidermal adhesion by intertwining with other basement membrane components.