Figure 7.

Annexin II expression in the kidneys of NZBWF1/J mice increases with progression of nephritis. (A) Annexin II expression in snap-frozen kidney sections of nonautoimmune BALB/c and NZBWF1/J mice before the onset of nephritis (top panels). Original magnification, ×400. The enlargements of the boxed areas show increased annexin II expression in predisease NZBWF1/J mice compared with BALB/c mice. (B) Expression of annexin II in paraffin renal sections obtained from BALB/c and NZBWF1/J mice at 22, 26, and 32 weeks of age. Annexin II expression increased progressively as nephritis progressed in NZBWF1/J mice, in parallel with the severity of proteinuria and anti-DNA antibody production. No significant change was observed in annexin II expression in the kidneys of the BALB/c mice. The bottom panel shows annexin II staining scores in BALB/c and NZBWF1/J mice. **P < 0.001 for age-matched NZBWF1/J mice versus BALB/c mice; *P < 0.01 for NZBWF1/J mice at 22 weeks versus NZBWF1/J mice at 26 or 32 weeks. (C) Glomerular staining score for annexin II in NZBWF1/J mice at 22 (white circle), 26 (gray circle), and 32 (black circle) weeks correlated with circulating anti-DNA antibody titers.