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A new marker of epidermal differentiation associated with the membrane coating granules: characterization and
Insights
A new monoclonal antibody, BC12, identifies an antigen on differentiated keratinocytes and hair follicles. This BC12 antigen may be involved in membrane coating granules and useful for studying skin diseases.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Cell Biology
- Immunology
Background:
- Suprabasal human keratinocytes express unique surface markers.
- Understanding keratinocyte differentiation is crucial for skin biology and disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize a novel monoclonal antibody, BC12, and its target antigen.
- To investigate the role of the BC12 antigen in keratinocyte differentiation and subcellular structures.
- To explore the potential diagnostic applications of the BC12 antibody in skin pathology.
Main Methods:
- Murine monoclonal antibody production via immunization.
- Immunoblotting and two-dimensional immunoblotting of keratinocyte subpopulations.
- Indirect immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy.
- Analysis of antigen distribution in normal and diseased human skin.
Main Results:
- BC12 antibody recognizes an antigen (BC12 antigen) on differentiated keratinocytes in the upper stratum spinosum and stratum granulosum.
- The BC12 antigen is also found in hair follicles and is associated with membrane coating granules (MCGs).
- In inflammatory skin diseases like psoriasis and eczema, BC12 antibody labels dermal papillae vessels, not epidermis.
Conclusions:
- The BC12 antigen is a marker of keratinocyte differentiation and potentially linked to MCGs.
- BC12 antibody shows promise as a tool for studying keratinocyte differentiation and MCG physiology.
- The altered expression pattern in skin diseases suggests BC12 antibody's utility in dermatological diagnostics.
Abstract:
A murine monoclonal antibody, BC12, was obtained after immunization against suprabasal human keratinocytes. In the epidermis of normal human skin, the antigen recognized by BC12 (BC12 antigen) is located at the apex of keratinocytes in the upper stratum spinosum and stratum granulosum but is absent in other layers. The BC12 antigen is also present in hair follicles. Immunoblotting performed on keratinocyte subpopulations confirmed the presence of the BC12 antigen in differentiated keratinocytes only. Two-dimensional immunoblotting showed that the BC12 antigen corresponds to a set of polypeptides with an apparent molecular weight of approximately 33kD. In keratinocyte cultures, the antigen is present only in stratified areas. The distribution of the BC12 antigen, as studied by indirect immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy, and its presence in certain subcellular fractions of epidermal cells suggest that it is a component of membrane coating granules (MCGs) or that it is associated with these structures. Strikingly, in psoriasis, eczema and many other diseases, the BC12 antibody does not label the epidermis, but vessels in dermal papillae. The BC12 antibody may thus be a useful tool in the study of keratinocyte differentiation and MCG physiology, and, also, in pathology.