Renal tubular absorption of beta 2 microglobulin

125Iodinated human beta 2 microglobulin (beta 2m, 5 to 30 mg) was administered to anesthetized rats. Clearance studies showed a low threshold of excretion of injected beta 2m and a high Tm of 400 to 600 micrograms X min-1 X kg-1. A glomerular sieving coefficient of 0.97 was calculated as the slope of the curve: beta 2m excretion rate = F (plasma beta 2m X glomerular filtration rate) for values above saturation. Electrophoresis analysis of proteinuria in agarose gel and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel showed that injection of saturating doses of beta 2m induced the excretion of proteins of similar size but different charge and that of other proteins of different size. Among the latter, some were excreted transiently in association with beta 2m, whereas others had a delayed excretion suggesting existence of a complex mechanism of reabsorption whose steps remain to be elucidated.