Basement membrane specific antisera produced to solubilized tissue fractions.

Attempts were made to produce antisera to solubilized tissue fractions rich in basement membranes and reticulin. Murine tissue fractions solubilized with sodium hydroxide elicited precipitating antibodies upon injection into rabbits. Although no nephrotoxic effect was observed upon injecting the rabbit antisera into mice, the antisera were fixed to the glomerular basement membrane, and not elsewhere, within 5 minutes of injection and remained fixed for at least 3 weeks. Specificity studies suggested that in addition to unique antigens, reticulin and epithelial basement membranes share a common antigen which is responsible for the similar immunofluorescence produced by antisera to tissue fractions rich in one or the other of these components.