Importance of the dermal-epidermal junction and recent advances.

The zone of human skin between the epidermis and dermis is called the dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ). The importance of the DEJ is outlined and three new areas of research involving the DEJ are reviewed: the intracellular pool of bullous pemphigoid antigen, the interactions between fibronectin and keratinocytes and the epidermolysis bullosa acquisita antigen.