Antiserum to intercellular material and basement membrane produced by immunization with oral epithelial cells

Antisera to non-enzymatically released oral epithelial cells were produced in rabbits. Reactivity with gingival sections, by immunofluorescence, was observed for intercellular (IC) and basement membrane (BM) zones. Both IC and BM reactivity could be blocked with Concanavalin A (500 and 1000 micrograms/ml respectively) and anti-human fibronectin serum. Pretreatment with pemphigus serum blocked IC reactivity only. Pemphigus antigen may reside in the material present between coherent epithelial cells and be absent from enzymatically dispersed cells.