In additional experiments, 4 control proteins were used, including BP180, the immunodominant target in bullous pemphigoid (BP), desmocollin 3 and desmoplakin, 2 proteins of the desmosomes (as control proteins for Dsg1 and Dsg3), and an irrelevant control protein of similar MW as PpSP32 (recombinant form of the CFP32 protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis [8]) as a protein control for PpSP32). This evidence concerns the gene DSP and bullous pemphigoid.