Das. Jenkins et al., RENAL EXPRESSION OF INTERLEUKIN-2 RECEPTOR MESSENGER-RNA IN PATIENTS WITH CRESCENTIC GLOMERULONEPHRITIS, Nephron, 71(3), 1995, pp. 303-308
We studied paraffin sections of renal biopsies from 7 patients with cr
escentic glomerulonephritis (CGN) by in situ hybridisation, to detect
sites of interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) mRNA expression. Frozen sectio
ns from a further patient with CGN were studied by immunohistochemistr
y with a monoclonal antibody to CD25, to detect IL-2R protein. Positiv
e control sections were taken from biopsies of acute cellular renal tr
ansplant rejection and negative controls from biopsies of membranous g
lomerulonephritis. No autoradiographic signal was detected in negative
controls. IL-2R mRNA expression was seen in rejected transplants and
in sections from 4 of 7 patients with CGN. Expression was seen in cort
ical interstitial cells, renal tubular epithelial cells, cells within
glomerular crescents and in one glomerulus at the margin of Bowman's c
apsule. Tubular cell expression of IL-2R protein was confirmed by immu
nohistochemistry. We have confirmed that IL-2R mRNA expression occurs
locally within the kidney in CGN and have identified expression in tub
ular epithelial cells. The results suggest that local activation of im
munocompetent cells occurs in the kidney and may be of significance in
the pathogenesis of CGN.