Abnormal binding of lectin to the epidermal cell membranes in the skin of epidermolysis bullosa simplex.

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) simplex is a congenital disease that has blister formation following minor mechanical trauma to the skin. However, the least amount of information concerning the pathogenesis is known in this condition. One possibility is that there are structural abnormalities in epidermal cell membranes. In the present study, we examined the binding of lectins to epidermal cell membranes by ABC method. Biopsy skin specimens were obtained from patients with simplex, junctional and dystrophic forms of EB, and normal volunteers. In the case of EB simplex, the cell membranes of keratinocytes in the basal and spinous cell layers did not bind to soybean agglutinin in specimens from blister edges or mechanical traumatized areas. No differences were found in binding pattern between the other forms of EB and normal controls. This results suggest the presence of structural abnormalities in epidermis of EB simplex.