Specificity of antibodies to heterologous glomerular and tubular basement membranes in various strains of mice with different H-2 types.

C3H, CBA (H-2k) and NZB (H-2d) mice were immunized with dog insoluble glomerular (GBM) or tubular basement membrane (TBM). The titre of circulating antibodies was sequentially determined and their specificity was analysed using various soluble antigenic fractions. Glomerular and tubular deposits were studied on serial biopsies by direct immunofluorescence. After elution from whole kidneys, IgG fixation on normal mouse kidney sections was analysed by indirect immunofluorescence. After immunization with insoluble GBM, animals from all three strains develop antibodies mainly directed against collagenous antigenic determinants shared by GBM and TBM. After immunization with insoluble TBM, the antibodies are directed in NZB mice against non-collagenous TBM-specific determinants, in C3H mice against collagenous determinants and in CBA mice against both types of antigenic determinants. Thus the ability to respond to the various antigens of GBM and TBM is genetically determined and does not depend only on the major histocompatibility complex.