Molecular diagnosis of autoimmune skin diseases

A wide range of skin diseases are associated with autoimmune responses against skin-specific or ubiquitous antigens. In many of these diseases, including autoimmune blistering disorders, collagenoses and vasculitides, extensive clinical and experimental evidence shows that autoreactive T-cells and/or autoantibodies play a major pathogenic role, allowing their classification as autoimmune diseases. The presence of tissue-bound and circulating autoantibodies does not only bear relevance for disease pathogenesis, but also allows developing robust diagnostic tools and molecular therapeutic approaches. Thus, various immunofluorescence methods, as well as molecular immunoassays, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting, belong to the modern diagnostic algorithms for these disorders. This review article describes the immunopathological features of autoimmune skin diseases and the molecular assays currently available for their diagnosis and monitoring.