[Haptenic function and metabolism of the disaccharides of the glomerular basement membrane in heterologous nephrotoxic antibody-induced glomerulonephritis in rats].

The disaccharide unit Glc-gal-hyl represents 6% of dry weight of the rat glomerular basement membrane. It has been shown to be a haptenic determinant of this membrane. It appears to be one of the targets of the lesions induced by nephrotoxic antibodies in the rat: the urinary excretion of Glc-gal-hyl (as well as of Gal-hyl and Hyl which may derive from Glc-gal-hyl by degradation) during the autologous phase of the rat glomerulonephritis is significantly increased. Simultaneously the biosynthesis of Glc-gal-hyl, as measured by the glomerular glucosyltransferase activity, is elevated by 72%.