Amyloid P component is not present in the glomerular basement membrane in Alport-type hereditary nephritis

Serum amyloid P component (SAP) is a normal plasma glycoprotein immunochemically indistinguishable from amyloid P, a glycoprotein found in all tissue amyloid deposits. SAP has also been shown to be a constituent of normal glomerular basement membrane (GBM). In this study the authors discovered a unique association between SAP and Goodpasture (GP) antigen. In those patients whose GBM lack GP antigen (those with Alport-type hereditary nephritis) SAP is also uniformly absent. Although the relationship between these two components is unknown, this association may provide clues to the abnormality of GBM in Alport-type hereditary nephritis.