Department of Dermatology, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, Germany.
J Invest Dermatol. 2011 Jul;131(7):1406-8. doi: 10.1038/jid.2011.118.
In this issue, Simonsson and colleagues shed light on the chemical mechanisms determining hapten formation in the skin, which precede the elicitation of an antigen-specific immune response in allergic contact dermatitis. Combining fluorescence microscopy, proteomics, and mass spectrometry, the investigators identified keratins K5 and K14, particularly cysteine 54 of K5, in the human basal epidermal layer as the major molecular targets of caged thiol-reactive fluorescent haptens (i.e., bromobimanes). Anti-keratin antibody responses in mice exposed to bromobimanes suggest the generation of immunogenic epitopes by cysteine-reactive haptens. Although many issues await further investigation, Simonsson and co-workers' observations advance our understanding of the molecular basis of hapten-protein complex formation in skin.
本期杂志中，Simonsson 及其同事阐明了在变应性接触性皮炎中，引发抗原特异性免疫反应之前，决定皮肤中半抗原形成的化学机制。通过荧光显微镜、蛋白质组学和质谱联用技术，研究人员在人类基底表皮层中发现角蛋白 K5 和 K14（尤其是 K5 的半胱氨酸 54）是笼状硫醇反应性荧光半抗原（即溴代丁烷）的主要分子靶标。暴露于溴代丁烷的小鼠的抗角蛋白抗体反应提示半抗原通过巯基反应产生免疫原性表位。尽管还有许多问题有待进一步研究，但 Simonsson 及其同事的观察结果增进了我们对半抗原-蛋白复合物在皮肤中形成的分子基础的理解。
