Spatial orientation and distribution of antigens within human glomerular basement membrane

Antibodies to GBM have a linear staining pattern along the GBM by immunofluorescence. In this study, we have examined the distribution of human GBM antigens using Goodpasture antibody and heterologous rabbit anti-human GBM antibody. Goodpasture sera and Goodpasture antibody eluted from diseased kidneys reacted as a single linear component within the GBM. Rabbit anti-human GBM was shown to react along distinctly separate zones of the inner and outer aspects of the GBM; the central portion of the GBM seemed to be nonreactive with this antibody. In comparison, Goodpasture antibodies reacted along the inner zone of the GBM but at a locus external to that reacting with heterologous rabbit anti-GBM antibody. These observations of linear binding of antibody to different sites along the GBM suggest a spatial organization of antigen not previously observed.