Novel feline autoimmune blistering disease resembling bullous pemphigoid in humans: IgG autoantibodies target the NC16A ectodomain of type XVII collagen (BP180/BPAG2)

Vet Pathol. 1999 Jul;36(4):328-35. doi: 10.1354/vp.36-4-328.

Abstract

In humans and dogs, bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering disease associated with the production of basement membrane autoantibodies that target the 180-kd type XVII collagen (BP180, BPAG2) and/or the 230-kd plakin epidermal isoform BPAG1e (BP230). In two adult cats, an acquired dermatosis and stomatitis was diagnosed as BP subsequent to the fulfillment of the following criteria: 1) presence of cutaneous vesicles, erosions, and ulcers; 2) histologic demonstration of subepidermal vesiculation with inflammatory cells, including eosinophils; 3) in vivo deposition of IgG autoantibodies at the epidermal basement membrane zone; and 4) serum IgG autoantibodies targeting a 180-kd epidermal protein identified as type XVII collagen. In both cats, the antigenic epitopes targeted by IgG autoantibodies were shown to be situated in the NC16A ectodomain of type XVII collagen, a situation similar to that of humans and dogs with BP. Feline BP therefore can be considered a clinical, histopathologic, and immunologic homologue of BP in humans and dogs.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Autoantibodies / isolation & purification
  • Basement Membrane / immunology
  • Cat Diseases / immunology*
  • Cat Diseases / pathology
  • Cats
  • Collagen / immunology*
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Immunoglobulin G / immunology*
  • Male
  • Pemphigoid, Bullous / immunology
  • Pemphigoid, Bullous / pathology
  • Pemphigoid, Bullous / veterinary*

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Collagen