Nuclear pore complexes deposited in the glomerular basement membrane are associated with autoantibodies in a case of membranous nephritis.

Massive deposits of organelles, morphologically identical with nuclear pore complexes (NP), were identified in the glomerular basement membrane of an individual with membranous nephritis. Analysis by immunofluorescence demonstrated that the patient's serum contained autoantibodies that became bound within intact cells to cellular components, including centrosomes or centrioles and filaments of the cytoskeleton. Furthermore, these antibodies became bound to numerous small structures at the nuclear periphery. The above evidence suggests that among the autoantibodies were some specifically directed toward the NP, and that the glomerular deposits were NP, possibly in association with IgG.