title: Anti-C1q autoantibodies do not correlate with the occurrence or severity of experimental lupus nephritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In systemic lupus erythematosus patients, a strong association between the occurrence of antibodies against complement C1q (anti-C1q) and lupus nephritis can be observed. However, the predictive value of anti-C1q titres for a renal flare remains to be determined. Increasing titres of anti-C1q before the occurrence of clinical apparent nephritis might not only serve as a clinical parameter but also indicate a direct pathogenic mechanism of anti-C1q.
  
  
  METHODS
  The aim of this study was to analyse the occurrence of anti-C1q before the onset of experimental lupus nephritis in MRL/MpJ +/+ mice and to correlate anti-C1q titres with the type and severity of glomerulonephritis (GN) developing at advanced age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As judged by a number of morphological and immunological analyses, GN in MRL/MpJ +/+ mice resembled human lupus nephritis and occurred in variable degrees of severity. We also observed an abundant and early presence of anti-C1q. However, anti-C1q neither correlated with overall survival nor with any histological marker of severity of GN.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The absence of a correlation between the presence of anti-C1q and the occurrence of experimental lupus nephritis contradicts the hypothesis that anti-C1q are pathogenic. However, different pathogenic mechanisms of experimental lupus nephritis and human proliferative lupus nephritis cannot be excluded.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bigler
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hopfer
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Danner
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schaller
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mihatsch
authors.forename: Marten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trendelenburg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D015922:Complement C1q / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008181:Lupus Nephritis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers; D015922:Complement C1q