title: Expression of proliferating cell associated protein, Ki-67, supports cellular proliferation in WHO Class IV lupus nephritis.
abstract: Ki-67 expression in diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis, WHO Class IV, was compared against normal controls to establish that cellular proliferation is involved in the production of glomerular hypercellularity. Twenty-three histologically confirmed WHO Class IV lupus nephritis and 23 normal control renal tissue were immunohistochemically stained with a polyclonal antibody to Ki-67 (Dako) using the peroxidase labelled streptavidin bioitin kit (Dako). There were 20 females and 3 males, with 17 Chinese and 6 Malays in the WHO Class IV lupus nephritis group. Ages of patients ranged between 10-56 years with a mean of 31.9 years. The normal controls, 20 males and 3 females, and ethnically 9 Indians, 7 Malays, 2 Chinese, and 5 foreign nationals (4 Indonesians and 1 Bangladeshi), had an age range between 15-33 years (mean = 23.3 years). Sixteen (69.6%) WHO Class IV lupus nephritis and 8 (34.8%) normal controls demonstrated Ki-67 immunoreactivity in at least 1 glomerulus (p<0.05). Of the 256 WHO Class IV lupus nephritis non-sclerosed, glomeruli studied, 37 (14.5%) were Ki-67 immunopositive compared with normal controls where 16 (0.7%) of 2159 glomeruli demonstrated Ki-67 (p< 0.01). Cellular proliferative activity, as evidenced by Ki-67 expression, was significantly increased in WHO Class IV lupus nephritis confirming that cell proliferation contributes to glomerular hypercellularity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Cheah
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kunaseegaran
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Looi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism*; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008181:Lupus Nephritis / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D019394:Ki-67 Antigen