Skin biopsy specimens were taken from peripheral skin of a bullous eruption of three patients with bullous pemphigoid. For immunoelectron microscopy these tissue blocks were fixed with periodate‐lysine‐paraformaldehyde. This fixation method turned out to be adequate for preservation of both tissue structure and antigenicity. The deposition of immunoglobulin and complements was observed to gradually decrease from the basal surface of the basal cells to the basal lamina. It is suggested that the antigenic substance of bullous pemphigoid is localized along the basal surface of the basal cells.

Ultrastructural localization of pemphigus autoantibodies has been studied, using the periodatelysine‐paraformaldehyde fixation method of McLean et al. The deposition of pemphigus autoantibodies was always found in the intercellular spaces of the epidermis, but not observed between the basal surface of basal cells and the basal lamina. Within desmosomes, a linear deposition of antibodies was also found, coresponding to the intermediate dense layer of Odland.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract