title: The kinetics of the pathogenic pronase-digested renal proximal tubular antigen and antibody in rat active Heymann nephritis.
abstract: We investigated the pathogenesis of active Heymann nephritis in the rat by conducting immunofluorescent and immunoblotting studies of the pathogenic antigen and the autoantibody, and by detecting this antigen-bound IgGs. Rat IgG was detected along the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) and significant proteinuria was observed 6 weeks after the injection of rat pronase-digested tubular brush border antigen. Circulating antibody which bound only to the brush border of proximal tubules of normal rat, appeared 2 weeks after antigen injection. Eluted antibody from nephritic kidney 6 weeks after immunization bound exclusively to the brush border of the proximal tubules of normal rat kidney. Monoclonal antibody against the nephritogenic 0.3 M antigen, which bound exclusively to the brush border in the normal rat, bound to the GBM in a fine granular fashion, as well as to the brush border from nephritic rats, indicating the deposition of nephritogenic 0.3 M antigen in the GBM of nephritic rats. On immunoblotting, both the circulating antibody and eluted antibody obtained from the nephritic kidney 6 weeks after immunization recognized the 0.3 M antigen. This antigen-bound IgG appeared in circulation at 2 weeks, becoming smaller in size at 4 weeks and disappearing 12 weeks after immunization. Thus, it is suggested that active Heymann nephritis in rats was induced by deposition of the circulating 0.3 M antigen-bound IgG complexes in the subepithelial space of GBM.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Gunma University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maezawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsukada
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Naruse
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D007668:Kidney / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D007687:Kidney Tubules, Proximal / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008871:Microvilli / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000941:Antigens; D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; C035812:renal tubular antigen