Maya El Hachem, Paola Fortugno, Antonio Palmeri, Manuela Helmer Citterich, Andrea Diociaiuti, Vittoria Proto, Renata Boldrini, Giovanna Zambruno, Daniele Castiglia
DOI: 10.2340/00015555-2439

Mutations in the laminin-332 (α3Aβ3γ2) genes cause junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB), a recessively inherited disease characterized by blistering and altered wound repair. In addition, specific mutations that affect the N-terminus of the α3A chain cause a JEB-related non-blistering condition characterized by chronic production of granulation tissue, suggesting a critical role of this region in epithelial-mesenchymal communication. We report here a 9-year-old patient with JEB with a few long-standing skin ulcers with prominent granulation tissue in the absence of active blistering. He bears a homozygous missense mutation, p.Gly254Asp, within the first laminin epidermal growth factor-like (LE) repeat of the3 short arm. We show that p.Gly254Asp causes mis-folding of the LE motif, leading to reduced secretion of laminin-332 and structural alterations of the cutaneous basement membrane zone. These findings demonstrate, in a patient in vivo, that the3 short arm is also involved in the outcome of the granulation tissue response.

Figure S1