Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita antigen: relationship between the collagenase-sensitive and -insensitive domains

To clarify the relationship of the 290 and 145 kDa chains of the epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) antigen, we subjected urea extracts of skin basement membrane zone (BMZ) proteins and isolated 290 and 145 kDa chains of the EBA antigen cut out of sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels to treatment with clostridial collagenase. When the reaction products were electrophoresed, transblotted, and reacted with EBA patient sera or two monoclonal antibodies to the EBA antigen, the 290 kDa chain was degraded into the 145 kDa band that was resistant to cleavage with collagenase. The 145 kDa domain, isolated after collagenase treatment of the whole BMZ extract, was resistant to degradation by hyaluronidase, chondroitinase ABC, heparinase, and heparitinase but was readily degraded by V-8 protease. These data suggest that the EBA antigen consists of collagen and noncollagen domains of identical size (Mr 145,000), and that the 145 kDa noncollagen domain is generated via degradation of the native 290 kDa species by collagenase.