ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the stratum corneum (SC) antigens which are so firmly bound in the tissue that more drastic chemical procedures are required for their release. Antigens other than serum proteins have been demonstrated in aqueous extracts of homogenated SC, callus and psoriatic scales. SC seems to contain several different antigenic determinants, extractable most suitably by phenol water extraction. The initial work on SC antibodies in man was performed using the immune adherence test and antibodies of the IgM and IgG classes were detected. Even though normal sera contain SC antibodies and normal skin bears SC antigens, they coexist without interacting, presumably due to the dermalepidermal barriers, consistent with a “normal autoimmune state”. In vivo bound autoantibodies and complement to SC in psoriasis and certain other dermatoses indicate that humoral autoimmune mechanisms are implicated in the pathogenesis of these diseases and may explain some of the histopathological and clinical features registered.
