Secondary IgA Nephropathy Shares the Same Immune Features With Primary IgA Nephropathy

Galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) and related IgA/IgG immune complexes have been identified as the key drivers in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). However, their roles in the development of secondary IgAN are still unknown.

In this study, we measured the plasma Gd-IgA1 level, IgA/IgG complex, and Gd-IgA1 glomerular deposits in 100 patients with various kinds of secondary IgAN. Plasma Gd-IgA1 was measured using a lectin-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Gd-IgA1 in glomerular deposits was examined by double immunofluorescent staining using its specific monoclonal antibody KM55.

Patients with secondary IgAN presented with higher plasma Gd-IgA1 levels compared to healthy controls (median, 354.61 U/ml; interquartile range [IQR], 323.93, 395.57 U/ml vs. median, 303.17 U/ml; IQR, 282.24, 337.92 U/ml, P < 0.001) or patients with other kidney diseases (median, 314.61 U/ml; IQR, 278.97, 343.55 U/ml, P < 0.001). A similar trend was observed in plasma IgA/IgG immune complexes or IgA1. There were no differences between secondary and primary IgAN in plasma Gd-IgA1 levels (median, 378.54 U/ml; IQR, 315.96, 398.33 U/ml, P = 0.700) and IgA1-IgG complex levels (median, 18.76 U/ml; IQR, 14.51, 22.83 U/ml vs. median, 19.11 U/ml; IQR, 13.21, 22.37 U/ml, P = 0.888). Co-localized IgA1 and Gd-IgA1 of both secondary and primary IgAN indicated that they both share the feature of Gd-IgA1 deposits on the glomerular mesangium.

Our study strongly suggests that secondary IgAN shares a similar galactose-deficient IgA1-oriented pathogenesis with primary IgAN.