Author/Authors :
Cohen، نويسنده , , Robert A. and Bayliss، نويسنده , , George and Crispin، نويسنده , , Jose C. and Kane-Wanger، نويسنده , , Gwen F. and Van Beek، نويسنده , , Christine A. and Kyttaris، نويسنده , , Vasileios C. and Avalos، نويسنده , , Ingrid and Yu، نويسنده , , C. Yung and Tsokos، نويسنده , , George C. and Stillman، نويسنده , , Isaac E.، نويسنده ,
Abstract :
We discuss a 53-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus who presented with vasculitis, hypocomplementemia and nephritis. Although her serum complement 4 (C4) levels were zero, she had four copies of C4 gene. Renal biopsy revealed membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis and the presence of cryoglobulins, detected by electron microscopy, and significant numbers of T cells in the interstitium. Cryoglobulins were considered responsible for the complete consumption of C4 in the serum the levels of which improved gradually after treatment. T cells in the kidney were found to express CD44 and phosphorylated ezrin/radixin/moiesin which explain why they homed to the kidney inappropriately. The contribution of cryoglobulins and T cells in the expression of kidney pathology is discussed.
Keywords :
T cells , Cryoglobulins , complement , lupus
