LOCALIZATION AND COMPOSITION OF RENAL IMMUNODEPOSITS IN MICE DEVELOPING HgCl2-INDUCED AUTOIMMUNE PROCESS
A. S. Arefieva,1,* P. A. Dyban,2 M. S. Krasilshchikova,1 J. W. Dobrucki,3
O. V. Zatsepina 1,**
1 M. M. Shemyakin—Yu. A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, Moscow, Russia,
2 Institute of Experimental Medicine RAMS, St. Petersburg, Russia,
and 3 Jagiellonian Unversity, Krakow, Poland;
e-mail: * quality4@rambler.ru,
** zatsepina_olga@mail.ru
A characteristic feature of systemic autoimmune diseases along with appearance of autoantibodies targeting
self-antigenes is deposition of immunoglobulins and components of the complement system in kidneys. However,
mechanisms of the deposit formation and their cytotoxic effects still remain poorly studied. To elucidate
these questions, we used SJL/J mice which are known to develop autoimmune process accompanied by the appearance
of anti-fibrillarin antibodies following regular administrations of sublethal dozes of HgCl2. Using antibodies
to the total murine ummunoglobulins we showed that immunodeposits were present in glomeruli of autoimmune
and control (not-autoimmune) animals, but their intensity was directly correlated with the titer of anti-
fibrillarin autoantibodies and was minimal in control mice. By confocal microscopy and conventional
fluorescence microscopy it was defined that immunodeposits deeply penetrate glomeruli and are the most likely
located within mesangial cells. In autoimmune animals, ummunoglobulins completely colocolized with the
C3 — component of complement, but not with the major autoantigen — the protein fibrillarin. We failed to determine
the signs of cell proliferation or death in glomeruli. The most prominent difference between control and
autoimmune mice was the presence if immunodeposits in renal blood vessels. These observations argue in favor
of the idea that destructive and disfunctional renal lesions accompanying development of autoimmune diseases
can be caused, in part, by accumulation of immunodeposits in blood vessels.
Key words: autoimmune pathologies, immunodeposits, kidney, SJL/J mice strain, HgCl2
| Pdf |
Back |
Contents |
Main |
|
