Glomerular podocyte cell junctions in nephrotic syndrome. II. Freeze-fracture studies in human nephrotic syndrome.

In six patients with nephrotic syndrome and in two control subjects freeze-fracture studies of isolated glomeruli obtained by needle biopsies were performed. In the nephrotic patients replicas of freeze-fractured podocytes showed an increased number of cell junctions. These were represented by incomplete occluding junctions and communicating junctions (gap junctions). There was morphologically a similarity between the glomerular podocyte cell junctions in human and experimental nephrotic syndrome (Kühn et al., 1981).