The Localization and Binding of Serum Proteins in the Glomeruli of Kidney Biopsies in Disseminated Lupus Erythematosus and Glomerulonephritis

Summary A report has been presented on the use of fluorescent antibody (fluorescein coupled with rabbit anti‐human gamma globulin), in the localization of serum protein in kidney tissue obtained by needle biopsy. Serum protein or fractions thereof have been localized bound to the glomerular capillary walls in kidney biopsies obtained from seven patients with glomerulonephritis associated with disseminated lupus erythematosus or related diseases, from one patient with fatal progressive glomerulonephritis and to a lesser degree from one patient with diabetic nephropathy. No such localization could be demonstrated in the glomeruli of seven normal kidneys and in ten other cases of kidney disease. It is suggested that this binding of serum protein represents an antigen‐antibody reaction. Alternatively it may he due to a secondary adsorption of plasma by the damaged capillary wall, or a combination of these processes.