The pathogenesis of glomerulonephritis in MRL mice--murine lupus erythematosus
Hewicker, M.; Kromschröder, E.; Trautwein, G.
Verhandlungen der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Pathologie 73: 129-132
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0070-4113 PMID: 2482597 Document Number: 337626
In a sequential study the spontaneously occurring glomerular lesions in MRL mice were analysed by light and immunofluorescence microscopy. The study was carried out with a total of 265 MRL mice of both substrains (MRL/Mp-lpr/lpr and -+/+) and of different age-groups. The glomerular lesions were classified in five forms of glomerulonephritis (GN): focal GN, diffuse GN, intra- and extracapillary-proliferative (crescentic) GN, membranoproliferative GN, and membranous GN. Crescentic GN was exclusively seen in mice of substrain lpr/lpr. Marked substrain-related differences concerning frequency, age of onset and severity of glomerular lesions were found. The occurrence of severe glomerulopathies in mice of substrain lpr/lpr at the age of 3 months was associated with a highly significant increase of circulating immune complexes.