MESANGIOLYSIS ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERE GLOMERULAR ENDOCAPILLARY PROLIFERATION OF CD57 LARGE GRANULAR LYMPHOCYTES

A 54-year-old man developed renal failure, with renal biopsy findings of diffuse mesangiolysis with severe endocapillary proliferation. Immu nohistochemical studies revealed that CD3(-)CD56(-)CD57(+) large granu lar lymphocytes were present predominantly within glomerular tufts. In tercellular adhesion molecule-1 was more preferentially expressed in t he glomerular endothelial cells with severe endocapillary proliferatio n as compared to those without endocapillary proliferation. These find ings suggest that CD57(+) large granular lymphocytes caused glomerular endothelial injury by a cell-mediated cytolytic mechanism, resulting in the development of mesangiolysis and microaneurysm formation.