An Electron Microscopic Study of Acantholysis and Dyskeratosis in Pemphigus Foliaceus

Neutrophils Contact to Plasma Membrane of Keratinocytes Including Desmosomal Structures in Canine Pemphigus Foliaceus

“…Conversely, several previous papers have described that serum IgG in human patients with PV and PF may trigger intracellular events and cause tonofilament retraction from the attachment plaque and subsequent internalization of desmosomes in vitro in cultured keratinocytes [1][2][3]18]. In previous EM study of human PF, it was described that the tonofilaments were frequently separated from attachment plaque of desmosomes in acantholytic lesions in the Malpighian layer [19]. Since all of the more than twenty halfdesmosomes had intracytoplasmic dense plaques, and retraction of tonofilaments was unremarkable in present study, it is suggested that intercellular signaling triggered by IgG autoantibodies is not essential in disruption of desmosomal cell-cell adhesion in canine PF.…”

Absence of Intercellular Antigens in the Deep Layers of the Epidermis in Pemphigus Foliaceus

“…In pemphigus foliaceus, in contrast, the lesions arise in the superficial epidermis. In all forms of pemphigus, the site of the earliest defect visualizable by electron microscopy is in the intercellular (IC)' substance (1,2).…”

Some Electron-Microscopic Aspects of Pemphigus erythematosus compared to those of Pemphigus vulgaris

“…The fact that the most marked changes in pemphigus erythematosus can be observed higher in the epithelium than in pemphigus vulgaris might be explained by the milder course which might also allow disturbances in keratinization to become clinically manifested. When we compare our obser vations in pemphigus erythematosus with the changes described in the litera-ture [9] for pemphigus foliaceus, it seems that the main difference is that the desmosomes do not completely disappeareven intheold blisters of pemphigus erythematosus.…”

“…Whereas J ablonska et al [3] deny a connection, others [4,6,10,11] have expressed the opinion that there is a connection and that there are transition stages between both diseases. A second reason for this investigation was that pemphigus erythematosus has not been the subject ofan electron-microscopic examination in the literature, probably, because someauthors [2,4,5] consider pemphigus erythematosus as a variant of pemphigus foliaceus, which was well investigated by W ilg ra m [9] who mentioned in his paper that in the VAN series of patients that he examined there was none with pemphigus erythema tosus (Senear-Usher syndrome).…”