Individuals with a history of frequent pneumonia present a higher frequency of autoantibodies against DSG3 (desmoglein 3), a cell adhesion molecule targeted by autoantibodies in paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP), an autoimmune disease of the skin and mucous membranes that can involve fatal lung complications (Amagai et al., 1998, Figure 1g–h). Here, DSG3 is linked to paraneoplastic pemphigus.