Immunodissection of the connective tissue matrix in human skin

Much of what has been learned of the components and structure of human skin over the past few years has been accomplished with the aid of antibody technology. Antibodies are used in techniques such as affinity chromatography to isolate individual molecules and by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy to identify each of those molecules as components of specific macromolecular assemblies present within the dermis. This manuscript is meant not as a review of technique but instead as a summary of recent progress made in the understanding of dermal matrix architecture.