Active in situ immune complex glomerulonephritis using the hapten-carrier system: role of epitope density in cationic antigens. |
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Authors: | S Kagami M Miyao F Shimizu and T Oite |
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Institution: | Department of Immunology, Niigata University School of Medicine, Japan. |
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Abstract: | The role of epitope density in cationic antigen was investigated in an active model of in situ immune complex glomerulonephritis (ICGN) using the hapten-carrier system. Trinitrophenol (TNP) was conjugated with variable density to cationic human immunoglobulin (C-HIgG) to yield TNP6.2-C-HIgG (low-valency antigen) and TNP31.3-C-HIgG (high-valency antigen). In rats preimmunized with TNP17.3-bovine serum albumin (BSA), endocapillary proliferative GN with proteinuria developed in rats receiving high-valency antigen. In contrast, no significant abnormalities in renal histology or urinalysis were observed when a low-valency antigen was injected. These results indicate that glomerular injury produced by hapten-specific immune reaction is affected by the number of haptenic groups conjugated to the carrier molecule (epitope density) in active in situ ICGN. |
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