Suppression of experimental lupus nephritis by aberrant expression of the soluble E-selectin gene

Circulating leukocytes, particularly neutrophils and monocytes, are important effector cells in the induction of many forms of glomerulonephritis. Adhesion molecules, especially selectins, are also thought to be critical for the development of this disease. We examined the possible suppressive effect of soluble E-selectin on the development of experimental lupus nephritis induced by the injection of a hybridoma clone (2B11.3) derived from an MRL/MpJ-lpr/lpr lupus mouse. This clone produces IgG3 antibodies that induce severe proliferative glomerulonephritis resembling lupus nephritis when injected into normal mice. Transgenic mice with a soluble E-selectin gene were injected intraperitoneally with the hybridoma cells and histopathologically examined on day 15. As a result, the development of glomerulonephritis was significantly suppressed. This suppression was characterized by fewer inflammatory cell infiltrates, compared with non-transgenic litter mates, despite the fact that there were no remarkable differences in immunoglobulin deposits or expression of E-selectin between the two groups. These findings suggest that by controlling inflammatory cell infiltration, soluble E-selectin plays a preventative role in the development of a particular type of lupus nephritis.