5.

A blocking monoclonal antibody against CD16 significantly inhibits the autoantibody-induced dermal–epidermal separation. Cryo-sections of human skin were incubated with IgG, IgG1 and IgG4 purified from BP patients 1 and 2 (n = 4 sections/antibody preparation). Subsequently, granulocytes were treated for 10 min at room temperature with 3G8 or a control antibody prior to incubation with skin sections. Dermal–epidermal separation is represented as means ± SEM of the percent of the total length of the dermal–epidermal junction (DEJ) for each section.