The epitope for anti-type VII collagen monoclonal antibody (LH7:2) locates at the central region of the N-terminal non-collagenous domain of type VII collagen.

The monoclonal antibody LH7:2, which recognizes type VII collagen, is now used in the diagnosis and prenatal diagnosis of epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica. We constructed the expression vector which contains the cDNA fragment of type VII collagen. Western blot with LH7:2 was carried out with the resultant fusion proteins which overlap each other, and we found that reactivity is located in the central region of the N-terminal non-collagenous domain of type VII collagen, at a position 81 kDa upstream from the collagenous domain. This epitope mapping for LH7:2 may be useful in studying the role of type VII collagen in epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica.