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Plasma leakage through glomerular basement membrane ruptures triggers the proliferation of parietal epithelial cells and crescent formation in non‐inflammatory glomerular injury
Author(s) -
Ryu Mi,
Migliorini Adriana,
Miosge Nicolai,
Gross Oliver,
Shankland Stuart,
Brinkkoetter Paul T,
Hagmann Henning,
Romagnani Paola,
Liapis Helen,
Anders HansJoachim
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/path.4046
Subject(s) - glomerular basement membrane , podocyte , basement membrane , pathology , rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis , podocalyxin , inflammation , glomerulonephritis , biology , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , immunology , kidney , endocrinology , proteinuria
Glomerular crescents are most common in rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis but also occur in non‐inflammatory chronic glomerulopathies; thus, factors other than inflammation should trigger crescent formation, eg vascular damage and plasma leakage. Here we report that Alport nephropathy in Col4A3 ‐deficient Sv129 mice is complicated by diffuse and global crescent formation in which proliferating parietal epithelial cells are the predominant cell type. Laminin staining and transmission and acellular scanning electron microscopy of acellular glomeruli documented disruptions and progressive disintegration of the glomerular basement membrane in Col4A3 ‐deficient mice. FITC‐dextran perfusion further revealed vascular leakage from glomerular capillaries into Bowman's space, further documented by fibrin deposits in the segmental crescents. Its pathogenic role was validated by showing that the fibrinolytic activity of recombinant urokinase partially prevented crescent formation. In addition, in vitro studies confirmed an additional mitogenic potential of serum on murine and human parietal epithelial cells. Furthermore, loss of parietal cell polarity and unpolarized secretion of extracellular matrix components were evident within fibrocellular crescents. Among 665 human Alport nephropathy biopsies, crescent formation was noted in 0.4%. We conclude that glomerular vascular injury and GBM breaks cause plasma leakage which triggers a wound healing programme involving the proliferation of parietal cells and their loss of polarity. This process can trigger cellular and fibrocellular crescent formation even in the absence of cellular inflammation and rupture of the Bowman's capsule. Copyright © 2012 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.