Transfer of C3 Nephritic Factor from Mother to Fetus

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Abstract
Many patients with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis and partial lipodystrophy have low levels of serum C3.1 2 3 4 Serum of these patients incubated with normal human serum may produce alternative-pathway-mediated cleavage of C3.5 6 7 The C3 cleaving activity has been ascribed to a serum protein called the C3 nephritic factor.5 6 7 Although nephritic factor has been purified and characterized as a unique serum protein,8 other evidence suggests that nephritic factor may be an immunoglobulin.9 A patient with partial lipodystrophy, who had high nephritic-factor titers and low serum C3 levels, became pregnant and thereby allowed study of transplacental transport of nephritic factor.Materials and Methods Serum specimens . . .