Abstract: Objective To study the effects of anti-keratin autoantibody (AK auto Ab) on apoptosis of human keratinocytes. Methods Light and electron microscopy were used to observe morphological changes, flow cytometry (FCM) to analyze cell cycle, and electrophoresis to analyze DNA profiles of cultured keratinocytes. Results Typical morphological changes with apoptotic characteristics such as karyopyknosis, chromatin agglutination and apoptosis bodies were found. The subdiploid peaks due to apoptosis were also found in cell cycle analyses. DNA electrophoresis of keratinocytes showed characteristic ladder. Conclusions AK auto Ab could induce apoptosis in cultured human keratinocytes.

Key words: Autoantibodies, Keratin, Keratinocytes, Apoptosis