Desmoglein 3 (DSG3)

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and pemphigus foliaceus (PF) are autoimmune diseases of the skin which have as target antigens 2 different members of the desmoglein subfamily of the desmosomal cadherins: pemphigus vulgaris antigen (PVA) in the case of PV and desmoglein I in the case of PF. In pemphigus vulgaris, autoantibodies against PVA, a keratinocyte cell surface 130-kD glycoprotein, cause loss of cell-cell adhesion.

Amagai et al. used affinity-purified pemphigus vulgaris IgG to isolate cDNA, containing the entire coding sequence for PVA, from human keratinocyte expression libraries. Northern blot analysis indicated PV mRNA expression only in stratified squamous epithelia.