Production of anti-basement membrane-zone antibody by peripheral blood leukocytes of pemphigoid patients.

Peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) from patients with bullous pemphigoid stimulated by pokeweed mitogen (PWM) produce an anti-basement membrane-zone(BMZ) antibody. the antibody produced in vitro was biosynthetically radiolabeled, and its binding to the BMZ was histologically demonstrated by autoradiography. The IgG nature of the antibody was evidence by the fact that it was absorbed by rabbit anti-human IgG antiserum immunoabsorbents. The peak antibody production in vitro occurred after 6 days of culture. Antibody produced in vitro did not bind to the BMZ of human skin, but it did bind to the BMZ of the monkey esophagus. Normal human volunteers and control patients did not produce such an antibody. In other experiments the effects of adding serum containing anti-BMZ antibody to the synthesis of Ig by cells of patients and normal subjects were studied. Although serum from patients with bullous pemphigoid stimulated Ig production with either normal or BP-patient PBL, the difference was not statistically significant. The availability of the assay system allows for studying the immunoregulatory mechanism of autoantibody production in bullous pemphigoid.