Skip to main content
Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1982 Feb;47(2):327–335.

Detection of monomeric and polymeric IgA containing immune complexes in serum and kidney from patients with alcoholic liver disease.

J Sancho, J Egido, M Sánchez-Crespo, R Blasco
PMCID: PMC1536534  PMID: 7042141

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to characterize circulating IgA and the IgA deposited in the glomeruli of patients with alcoholic liver disease. In the 6 patients studied there was an increased proportion in monomeric IgA (3.5 fold) and IgA between 9-13S (8.94 fold), 13-17S (4.49 fold) and 17-21S (1.63 fold) fractions on 5-40% sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation at physiological pH. All fraction between 9.12S decreased at acid pH, however a 3.28 fold increase in fractions where polymeric IgA is expected to appear. IgG eluted at acid pH from autopsy kidney was studied by the same procedures. At pH 7.4 about 55% of that IgA have a molecular weight comprised between 9-12S, decreasing to around 25% at acid pH. The existence of true polymeric IgA in serum and kidney was based on the capacity of high molecular weight IgA to bind human secretory component. The amount of immune complexes with monomeric IgA were higher than those with polymeric IgA in serum as well as in kidney. However, the percentage of heavy IgA (probably polymeric IgA) in kidney were, in each patient, higher than those observed in serum. Our results show the presence of high amounts of monomeric and polymeric IgA, both partially as immune complexes, in serum and kidneys of patients with alcoholic liver disease and IgA glomerulonephritis. Furthermore, our data suggest a role for human liver in the clearance of serum IgA such as has been demonstrated in the some animal species, especially in rats.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. André F., André C. Participation de l'immunoglobuline A monomérique et dimérique à l'hypergammaglobulinémie de la cirrhose éthylique. Biol Gastroenterol (Paris) 1976 Apr-May;9(2):147–150. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. André F., Druguet M., André C. Effect of food intake on circulating antigen-antibody complexes in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Digestion. 1978;17(6):554–559. doi: 10.1159/000198162. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Benveniste J., Bruneau C. Detection and characterization of circulating immune complexes by ultracentrifugation. Technical aspects. J Immunol Methods. 1979;26(2):99–112. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(79)90074-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Berger J., Yaneva H., Nabarra B. Glomerular changes in patients with cirrhosis of the liver. Adv Nephrol Necker Hosp. 1977;7:3–14. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Brandtzaeg P. Characteristics of SC-Ig complexes formed in vitro. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1974;45(0):87–97. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4613-4550-3_10. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Brandtzaeg P. Polymeric IgA is complexed with secretory component (SC) on the surface of human intestinal epithelial cells. Scand J Immunol. 1978;8(1):39–52. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1978.tb00494.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Brandtzaeg P. Studies on J chain and binding site for secretory component in circulating human B cells. II. The cytoplasm. Clin Exp Immunol. 1976 Jul;25(1):59–66. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Callard P., Feldmann G., Prandi D., Belair M. F., Mandet C., Weiss Y., Druet P., Benhamou J. P., Bariety J. Immune complex type glomerulonephritis in cirrhosis of the liver. Am J Pathol. 1975 Aug;80(2):329–340. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Egido J., Sancho J., Mampaso F., Lopez Trascasa M., Sanchez Crespo M., Blasco R., Hernando L. A possible common pathogenesis of the mesangial IgA glomerulonephritis in patients with Berger's disease and Schönlein-Henoch syndrome. Proc Eur Dial Transplant Assoc. 1980;17:660–666. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fisher M. M., Nagy B., Bazin H., Underdown B. J. Biliary transport of IgA: role of secretory component. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Apr;76(4):2008–2012. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.4.2008. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hall J. G., Gyure L. A., Payne A. W. Comparative aspects of the transport of immunoglobulin A from blood to bile. Immunology. 1980 Dec;41(4):899–902. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Husby G., Skrede S., Blomhoff J. P., Jacobsen C. D., Berg K., Gjone E. Serum immunoglobulins and organ non-specific antibodies in diseases of the liver. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1977;12(3):297–304. doi: 10.3109/00365527709180931. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Iturriaga H., Pereda T., Estévez A., Ugarte G. Serum immunoglobulin A changes in alcoholic patients. Ann Clin Res. 1977 Feb;9(1):39–43. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kaartinen M. Liver damage in mice and rats causes tenfold increase of blood immunoglobulin A. Scand J Immunol. 1978;7(6):519–522. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1978.tb00487.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lemaître-Coelho I., Jackson G. D., Vaerman J. P. Rat bile as a convenient source of secretory IgA and free secretory component. Eur J Immunol. 1977 Aug;7(8):588–590. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830070818. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Nochy D., Callard P., Bellon B., Bariety J., Druet P. Association of overt glomerulonephritis and liver disease: a study of 34 patients. Clin Nephrol. 1976 Oct;6(4):422–427. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Orlans E., Peppard J., Fry J. F., Hinton R. H., Mullock B. M. Secretory component as the receptor for polymeric IgA on rat hepatocytes. J Exp Med. 1979 Dec 1;150(6):1577–1581. doi: 10.1084/jem.150.6.1577. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Orlans E., Peppard J., Reynolds J., Hall J. Rapid active transport of immunoglobulin A from blood to bile. J Exp Med. 1978 Feb 1;147(2):588–592. doi: 10.1084/jem.147.2.588. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Penner E., Albini B., Milgrom F. Detection of circulating immune complexes in alcoholic liver disease. Clin Exp Immunol. 1978 Oct;34(1):28–31. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Rifai A., Small P. A., Jr, Teague P. O., Ayoub E. M. Experimental IgA nephropathy. J Exp Med. 1979 Nov 1;150(5):1161–1173. doi: 10.1084/jem.150.5.1161. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Socken D. J., Jeejeebhoy K. N., Bazin H., Underdown B. J. Identification of secretory component as an IgA receptor on rat hepatocytes. J Exp Med. 1979 Dec 1;150(6):1538–1548. doi: 10.1084/jem.150.6.1538. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Stobo J. D. Cirrhosis and hypergammaglobulinemia. Dig Dis Sci. 1979 Oct;24(10):737–740. doi: 10.1007/BF01317204. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Thomas H. C., Potter B. J., Sherlock S. Is primary biliary cirrhosis an immune complex disease? Lancet. 1977 Dec 17;2(8051):1261–1263. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(77)92666-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Thorell J. I., Johansson B. G. Enzymatic iodination of polypeptides with 125I to high specific activity. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1971 Dec 28;251(3):363–369. doi: 10.1016/0005-2795(71)90123-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Trascasa M. L., Egido J., Sancho J., Hernando L. Evidence of high polymeric IgA levels in serum of patients with Berger's disease and its modification with phenytoin treatment. Proc Eur Dial Transplant Assoc. 1979;16:513–519. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Trascasa M. L., Egido J., Sancho J., Hernando L. IgA glomerulonephritis (Berger's disease): evidence of high serum levels of polymeric IgA. Clin Exp Immunol. 1980 Nov;42(2):247–254. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Underdown B. J., DeRose J., Koczekan K., Socken D., Weicker J. Isolation of human secretory component by affinity chromatography on IgM-sepharose. Immunochemistry. 1977 Feb;14(2):111–118. doi: 10.1016/0019-2791(77)90289-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Clinical and Experimental Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES