Cytoplasmic and HL-A antigens in the human epidermis

Abstract

HL-A antisera were found to react, in indirect immunofluorescence on human skin, with the cytoplasm of the upper cell layers of the epidermis. It has been established that this staining was not due to an HL-A-antigen-antibody reaction but rather to a contamination of HL-A antisera with non-HL-A epidermal cytoplasmic antibodies. These findings ruled out a previous hypothesis that HL-A antigens were expressed in the cytoplasm of the upper epidermal cell layers. The localization of HL-A antigens in the human epidermis has not been demonstrated by use of indirect immunofluorescence.