Immunological study of pustulosis palmaris et plantaris. Blastoid transformation of tonsil and peripheral blood lymphocytes by stimulation with human skin extract.

The experiment was performed in order to approach the question whether denatured epithelial debris in the tonsillar crypts could be an antigenic substance which might be responsible for inducing autoallergic reactions in the skin. Identical antigenicity of the tonsillar epithelium and of the skin was determined by immunofluorescence study. Then heat-denatured skin extract was used as a model system for studying the antigenicity of denatured epithelial debris. A blastoid transformation study of tonsil and peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from patients with pustulosis palmaris et plantaris and control individuals was carried out by stimulating with heat-denatured skin extract. Tonsil lymphocytes responded well to skin extract, but peripheral blood lymphocytes scarcely responded at all. Skin extract induced transformation of tonsil lymphocytes occurred in the T-cell fraction, but not in the B-cell fraction. The results indicate that denatured tonsillar epithelium can induce an immune response of tonsil lymphocytes as autoantigen, and that the blastogenesis observed was dependent upon T cells.