KF-1 monoclonal antibody defines a specific basement membrane antigen defect in dystrophic forms of epidermolysis bullosa.

The monoclonal antibody, KF-1, identifies a noncollagenous constituent of the lamina densa of the basement membrane zone (BMZ) of skin. In order to determine whether this BMZ constituent is affected in epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a mechanobullous skin disease often resulting in marked disfigurement, we have examined skin from patients with various forms of this disease for binding by KF-1 as well as for binding by polyclonal antibodies to laminin, type IV collagen, and bullous pemphigoid antigen, three other known BMZ components of normal skin. In all specimens from patients with simplex and junctional forms of EB, all four antibodies bound normally. In contrast, absent or diminished KF-1 binding was noted in all skin specimens from patients with dystrophic EB; antibodies directed against the other BMZ constituents, however, bound normally. This suggests that KF-1 may play a role in the structural integrity of normal skin and its absence or diminution may be important in the pathogenesis of lesion formation in dystrophic EB.