Lymphocyte expression of a 90 kD brush border antigen.

This study analyses the expression by rat lymphocytes of six renal brush border (BB) antigens defined by a set of monoclonal antibodies and demonstrates that a 90 kD protein (gp 90), synthesized by BB and glomeruli is found on the surface of T and B cells. The other antigens, including the 330 kD protein involved in Heymann's nephritis--a model of epimembranous glomerulonephritis--are not detectable on the surface of lymphocytes. Immunochemical studies indicate that gp 90 and the related protein immunoprecipitated from thymocyte membranes co-migrate in SDS-PAGE. Quantitative binding analysis shows that the number of antigenic sites is in the same order of magnitude on thymocytes, spleen and bone-marrow lymphocytes as well as on two lines of pre-B and pre-T cells, but considerably lower on a highly differentiated helper T cell line.