Edgington T S, Glassock R J, Dixon F J
J Exp Med. 1968 Mar 1;127(3):555-72. doi: 10.1084/jem.127.3.555.
The nephritogenic antigen, responsible for the immunogenic stimulus in experimental allergic glomerulonephritis induced with tubular antigen, has been identified as a renal tubular epithelial (RTE)-specific antigen and has been isolated in a relatively purified form. This antigen, RTE-alpha(5), is a distinct and antigenically specific lipoprotein of high density which is derived primarily from the brush border of proximal convoluted tubular epthelium of the rat kidney. It has been suggested that this molecule may be a plasma membrane subunit. Immunization of rats with as little as 3 microg N of RTE-alpha(5) in complete Freund's adjuvant has effectively induced this form of membranous glomerulonephritis. RTE-alpha(5) is not a constituent of normal rat glomeruli; however, with the onset of autologous immune complex nephritis it is deposited in a granular fashion along glomerular capillary walls indistinguishable from the deposits of gamma-globulin and complement. The antigenic specificity of this antigen and its tissue derivation has been explored, and the observations support the autologous immune complex pathogenesis of the glomerulonephritis induced in rats by immunization with renal tubular antigen.
在由肾小管抗原诱导的实验性过敏性肾小球肾炎中，引发免疫原性刺激的致肾炎抗原已被鉴定为一种肾小管上皮（RTE）特异性抗原，并已以相对纯化的形式分离出来。这种抗原，即RTE-α(5)，是一种独特的、具有抗原特异性的高密度脂蛋白，主要来源于大鼠肾脏近曲小管上皮的刷状缘。有人提出，这种分子可能是一种质膜亚基。在完全弗氏佐剂中用低至3微克氮的RTE-α(5)免疫大鼠，已有效地诱导出这种形式的膜性肾小球肾炎。RTE-α(5)不是正常大鼠肾小球的组成成分；然而，随着自身免疫复合物性肾炎的发生，它以颗粒状形式沿肾小球毛细血管壁沉积，与γ球蛋白和补体的沉积物难以区分。已经对这种抗原的抗原特异性及其组织来源进行了探索，这些观察结果支持了用肾小管抗原免疫大鼠所诱导的肾小球肾炎的自身免疫复合物发病机制。
