Mercuric chloride induces in the Brown-Norway rat a biphasic autoimmune disease characterized initially by linear IgG deposits along the glomerular basement membrane followed later by granular IgG deposition. In the present study, anti-glomerular basement membrane antibodies and immune complex-like material were sequentially assessed in serial serum samples. Both were transiently found at the same period. Glomerular linear IgG deposits were present on day 11 but circulating anti-glomerular basement membrane antibodies were only found later on day 16. Circulating immune complexes were first detectable on day 8 before the earliest granular IgG deposits were first observed in the spleen vessels on day 16. The disappearance of circulating anti-glomerular basement membrane antibodies and of circulating immune complexes, although HgCl2 injections were pursued, is in agreement with the self-limited character of mercuric chloride induced autoimmune disease and suggests the induction of immunosuppressive mechanisms.
A method involving the use of sieves and differential centrifugation for the preparation and separation of basement membranes from human renal tubules and glomeruli is described. Electron microscopic examination of the material obtained shows the glomerular membrane as a single dense structure, while the tubular membrane is composed of two dense layers separated by a space filled with loose fibrils exhibiting the same periodicity as collagen. The carbohydrate composition of both types of membranes is the same but tubular membranes have a lower content of some specific sugars. Differences also exist in amino acid composition. The content in hydroxylysine is higher in the glomerular membrane while the content in hydroxyproline is higher in the tubular membrane.
Gel electrophoresis after solubilization of the material demonstrates the presence of two, may be three, major proteins.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.