Epidermal transglutaminase (TGase 3) is the autoantigen of dermatitis herpetiformis

Miklos, S., Karpati, S., Merkl, B., Paulsson, M. and Smyth, N. (2002) Epidermal transglutaminase (TGase 3) is the autoantigen of dermatitis herpetiformis. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 119 (1), 315-315.

Abstract

While tissue transglutaminase has been implicated as the major autoantigen of gluten sensitive disease, there has been no explanation as to why this condition appears in two distinct forms, celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis. We performed ELISA and immunohistochemical studies to and the difference between the two conditions. Here we show that while sera from patients with either form of gluten sensitive disease react both with tissue transglutaminase and the related enzyme epidermal (type 3) transglutaminase, antibodies in patients having dermatitis herpetiformis show a markedly higher avidity for epidermal transglutaminase. Further, these patients have an antibody population specific for this enzyme. We also show that the IgA precipitates in the papillary dermis of patients with dermatitis herpetiformis, the defining signs of the disease, contain epidermal transglutaminase, but not tissue transglutaminase or keratinocyte transglutaminase. These findings demonstrate that epidermal transglutaminase, rather than tissue transglutaminase, is the dominant autoantigen in dermatitis herpetiformis and explain why skin symptoms appear in a proportion of patients having gluten sensitive disease.

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