[The pathogenesis of glomerulonephritis in MRL mice--murine lupus erythematosus]

In a sequential study the spontaneously occurring glomerular lesions in MRL mice were analysed by light and immunofluorescence microscopy. The study was carried out with a total of 265 MRL mice of both substrains (MRL/Mp-lpr/lpr and -+/+) and of different age-groups. The glomerular lesions were classified in five forms of glomerulonephritis (GN): focal GN, diffuse GN, intra- and extracapillary-proliferative (crescentic) GN, membranoproliferative GN, and membranous GN. Crescentic GN was exclusively seen in mice of substrain lpr/lpr. Marked substrain-related differences concerning frequency, age of onset and severity of glomerular lesions were found. The occurrence of severe glomerulopathies in mice of substrain lpr/lpr at the age of 3 months was associated with a highly significant increase of circulating immune complexes.