Linear IgA disease is characterized by circulating IgA autoantibodies recognizing basement membrane zone components, including an anchoring filament protein, ladinin. In this study, we have cloned the mouse ladinin cDNA, elucidated the intron-exon organization of the corresponding gene (Lad1), and determined its chromosomal assignment. We have also characterized the promoter region of Lad1 and examined its tissue-specific expression. The mouse Lad1 gene consists of 10 exons spanning approximately 13.4 kb of the mouse genome on chromosome 1, and Southern analysis suggested that Lad1 is a single-copy gene. The coding region comprises 1584 nucleotides and encodes a 528-amino-acid polypeptide with a calculated molecular mass of 59 kDa. The deduced polypeptide contained two putative N-glycosylation and two O-glycosylation sites, and sequence analysis predicted a 15-amino-acid signal peptide. The 5' upstream region demonstrated the presence of consensus cis-elements for AP2 and SP1 and was GC rich, consistent with eukaryotic promoter. Northern analysis revealed expression in cultured keratinocytes, but not in fibroblasts, with the mRNA transcript being approximately 2.5 kb in size. A significant level of expression was also noted in the kidney and lung, and to a lesser degree in the liver, spleen, and brain. Ladinin is a novel component of the basement membranes and may function in contributing to the stability of the association of the epithelial layers with the underlying mesenchyme.