Biomaterial Database

Structure and antigenicity of the skin basement membrane zone. 1991

J D Fine

Department of Dermatology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27514.

The skin basement membrane zone is comprised of two major ultrastructural regions, four associated structures, and at least 17 different antigens. In this brief review, the ultrastructure, antigenicity, and ontogeny of normal human skin will be discussed in detail, as will alterations in expression or immune response to selected basement membrane components in specific mechanobullous and autoimmune diseases.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008854	Microscopy, Electron	Microscopy using an electron beam, instead of light, to visualize the sample, thereby allowing much greater magnification. The interactions of ELECTRONS with specimens are used to provide information about the fine structure of that specimen. In TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY the reactions of the electrons that are transmitted through the specimen are imaged. In SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY an electron beam falls at a non-normal angle on the specimen and the image is derived from the reactions occurring above the plane of the specimen.	Electron Microscopy
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000954	Antigens, Surface	Antigens on surfaces of cells, including infectious or foreign cells or viruses. They are usually protein-containing groups on cell membranes or walls and may be isolated.	Cell Surface Antigens,Surface Antigens,Surface Markers, Immunological,Cell Surface Antigen,Immunologic Surface Markers,Markers, Immunological Surface,Surface Antigen,Surface Markers, Immunologic,Antigen, Cell Surface,Antigen, Surface,Antigens, Cell Surface,Immunological Surface Markers,Markers, Immunologic Surface,Surface Antigen, Cell,Surface Antigens, Cell
D001485	Basement Membrane	A darkly stained mat-like EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX (ECM) that separates cell layers, such as EPITHELIUM from ENDOTHELIUM or a layer of CONNECTIVE TISSUE. The ECM layer that supports an overlying EPITHELIUM or ENDOTHELIUM is called basal lamina. Basement membrane (BM) can be formed by the fusion of either two adjacent basal laminae or a basal lamina with an adjacent reticular lamina of connective tissue. BM, composed mainly of TYPE IV COLLAGEN; glycoprotein LAMININ; and PROTEOGLYCAN, provides barriers as well as channels between interacting cell layers.	Basal Lamina,Basement Lamina,Lamina Densa,Lamina Lucida,Lamina Reticularis,Basement Membranes,Densas, Lamina,Lamina, Basal,Lamina, Basement,Lucida, Lamina,Membrane, Basement,Membranes, Basement,Reticularis, Lamina
D012867	Skin	The outer covering of the body that protects it from the environment. It is composed of the DERMIS and the EPIDERMIS.
D012872	Skin Diseases, Vesiculobullous	Skin diseases characterized by local or general distributions of blisters. They are classified according to the site and mode of blister formation. Lesions can appear spontaneously or be precipitated by infection, trauma, or sunlight. Etiologies include immunologic and genetic factors. (From Scientific American Medicine, 1990)	Bullous Skin Diseases,Pustular Dermatosis, Subcorneal,Skin Diseases, Bullous,Skin Diseases, Vesicular,Sneddon-Wilkinson Disease,Subcorneal Pustular Dermatosis,Vesicular Skin Diseases,Vesiculobullous Skin Diseases,Bullous Dermatoses,Vesiculobullous Dermatoses,Bullous Skin Disease,Dermatoses, Bullous,Dermatoses, Subcorneal Pustular,Dermatoses, Vesiculobullous,Dermatosis, Subcorneal Pustular,Pustular Dermatoses, Subcorneal,Skin Disease, Bullous,Skin Disease, Vesicular,Skin Disease, Vesiculobullous,Sneddon Wilkinson Disease,Subcorneal Pustular Dermatoses,Vesicular Skin Disease,Vesiculobullous Skin Disease