The role of complement in membranous nephropathy

H Ma, DG Sandor, LH Beck Jr - Seminars in nephrology, 2013 - Elsevier
Membranous nephropathy (MN) describes a histopathologic pattern of injury marked by
glomerular subepithelial immune deposits and collectively represents one of the most
common causes of adult nephrotic syndrome. Studies in Heymann nephritis, an
experimental model of MN, have established a paradigm in which these deposits locally
activate complement to cause podocyte injury, culminating in cytoskeletal reorganization,
loss of slit diaphragms, and proteinuria. There is much circumstantial evidence for a …