The mediation of the localization of polymorphonuclear leucocytes in glomeruli during the autologous phase of nephrotoxic nephritis.

A passive model of the autologous phase of nephrotoxic nephritis (NTN) in rabbits was developed to study the events at the initiation of this stage of the disease. Intravenous injection of sheep anti-rabbit glomerular basement membrane antiserum was followed 48 hr later by 125I trace labelled rabbit anti-sheep IgG. Animals were killed 3 hr after the second antibody injection. Experiments were undertaken to investigate whether or not a reaction between the passive antibody Fc piece and polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMN) Fc receptor occurred, causing the localization of PMN in glomeruli in the autologous phase of NTN. The results indicate that such a reaction is an important, but not exclusive, factor in glomerular PMN localization. The complement independence of the localization was confirmed. In addition, it appeared that PMN-dependent intraglomerular fibrin deposition was mediated exclusively by a reaction between antibody Fc piece and PMN Fc receptor.