ABSTRACT
Autoimmunity, i.e., specific immune responses to identifiable solid or fluid components of the tissue of their producer, may be cellular or humoral. This chapter deals with the relation between reactions of Stratum corneum antibodies (SCAb) to insoluble stratum corneum (SC) antigens as seen by indirect immunofluorescence (IF) tests on frozen sections and those which occur as a result of SC antigen conversion both in tissue culture and in vivo. Volar skin and callus of the mechanical hyperkeratosis type reacts with SCAb at cut edges. The insoluble SC antigens detected by indirect IF tests of normal skin appear to be proteins as revealed by enzymatic studies. The degradation of the insoluble SC antigens (SCAg) by each of three serine proteases chymotrypsin, trypsin, and plasmin clearly indicate that these antigens include protein. The conversion of the SCAg to a reactive form by extraction with ether or chloroform suggests that the components of macromolecules which normally sequesters the insoluble SCAg is a lipid.
