Murine interstitial nephritis. I. Analysis of disease susceptibility and its relationship of pleiomorphic gene products defining both immune-response genes and a restrictive requirement for cytotoxic T cells at H-2K.

Anti-tubular basement membrance (alpha TBM) disease-producing interstitial nephritis in mice is not dependent on the generation of alpha TBM antibodies. Susceptibility seems to be defined by very private specificities in H-2K. These specificities are pleiomorphic, providing both immune-response genes and identity restrictions for cytotoxic effector functions expressed by a Thy-1.2+, Lyt-2,3+ T cell. These studies establish a role for T cells in the pathogenesis in interstitial nephritis as well as providing further evidence for the role of H-2K in the expression of an autoimmune disease.