Ongoing research in our lab revealed that PV patients exhibit significant reactivity to TPO (22), and that anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies can induce keratinocyte dissociation in vitro and affect signaling pathways in keratinocytes similar to those seen after binding of anti-Dsg3 antibodies (Sajda et al., manuscript in preparation). This evidence concerns the gene DSG3 and acquired polycythemia vera.