Induction of granulocyte-dependent dermal-epidermal separation by autoantibodies ex vivo

Disease models represent powerful tools used by biomedical researchers to address various questions related to the pathogenesis and the possible therapeutic targets in different diseases. To get a complete picture of the process one needs complementary animal and ex vivo disease models. While subsequent chapters dwell upon animal models, this chapter describes an ex vivo model for granulocyte-dependent dermal-epidermal separation induced by autoantibodies to the basal membrane. The strength of the described ex vivo model resides in the fact that it uses human material (the skin, autoantibodies, and cells), thus better mimicking the pathogenesis as it occurs in patients. The reproducibility rate of the protocol is about 85-90% when using a good combination of the three main ingredients. This rate can drop dramatically when changing one of the three. Nevertheless, being a one-day model, this procedure enables investigators to have a quick readout system when investigating multiple sera for their potential to activate granulocytes and induce dermal-epidermal separation.