Experimental induction of glomerulonephritis mediated by anti-glomerular basement membrane and anti-brush border antibodies in a single rat.

This report describes induction of nephritis, which was concurrently mediated by [anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody (anti-GBM) and anti-brush border antibody, in the Wistar rat immunized with a solubilized renal antigen (S-RA). The antigen was prepared by digestion of rat cortical tissue with trypsin and pronase. Ouchterlony test using antisera to the rat GBM and brush border showed that the S-RA contained both antigens. From the S-RA the brush border antigen was isolated by affinity chromatography. At the 8th week rats injected with the S-RA showed a linear or combined linear and granular distribution of rat IgG and C3 along the GBM in immunofluorescence. The capillary granular pattern was only observed at the 16th week. In contrast rats injected with the brush border antigen remained in a capillary granular pattern throughout the experimental course. It was suggested that the rat nephritis injected with the S-RA was mediated by the antibodies capable of reacting with at least two different antigens, namely the GBM and the brush border. The possibility was confirmed by demonstrating the coexistence of these two kinds of antibodies in the serum and kidney eluate from the nephritic rats.