The Autoantigen Pso p27 is Generated from SCCA Molecules in Psoriatic Plaques

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with unknown etiology. Infiltration of inflammatory cells as the initial event in the development of new psoriatic plaques together with the defined inflamed areas of such lesions this argues for an immunological disease with a local production of a causal antigen. Pso p27 is a protein expressed in psoriatic plaques and is shown to participate in complement activating immune complexes in the skin lesions. Recently we suggested that the Pso p27 antigen most probably is generated from SCCAmolecules by digestion with highly specific endoproteases. In this communication we substantiate this relationship and postulate an intracellular generation of Pso p27 antigen from SCCA molecules.