C4 IN GLOMERULAR LESIONS OF NZB-NZW MICE

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 27  (2) , 222-226
Abstract
Antisera to human C4 [4th complement (C) component] can discriminate circulating Ss protein (C4) levels in mice. Since there was no previous information on early C components (C1, C4, C2) in the renal lesions of B/W mice, the indirect immunofluorescence technique was applied to post-mortem sections of kidney from B/W female mice with advanced renal disease. C4 was present in 15 of the 16 specimens, usually in a distribution similar to that of IgG [immunoglobulin G] or C3. Specificity was demonstrated by differential absorptions with high-Ss serum from C57BL/6 male mice and low-Ss serum from C3H/HeJ female mice. High-Ss-absorbed antiserum did not stain, while low-Ss-absorbed antibody retained much of its activity. This finding parallels the demonstration of early C components in lesions of clinical lupus nephritis and is consistent with classic C pathway activation in B/W disease.