THE problem of the splitting of the glomerular basement membrane originated with the observations of Jones (I953, I957) on the histogenesis of membranous thickening, made possible by means of a new method of staining (silver-methenamine). In his opinion this thickening was caused by the splitting of the basement membrane due to the deposition of a hyaline substance between the two layers. Jones...

Nidogens are highly conserved proteins in vertebrates and invertebrates and are found in almost all basement membranes. According to the classical hypothesis of basement membrane organization, nidogens connect the laminin and collagen IV networks, so stabilizing the basement membrane, and integrate other proteins. In mammals two nidogen proteins, nidogen-1 and nidogen-2, have been discovered. N...

Anti-glomerular basement membrane disease is characterized by autoimmunity to antigenic sites on type IV collagen of the glomerular basement membrane. The majority of patients present with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis and alveolar hemorrhage. The occurrence of antiglomerular basement membrane disease and other types of glomerulonephritis, such as membranous nephropathy, IgA nephropath...

The basement membrane plays an important role in maintaining the structural and functional integrity of tissues. Altered basement membrane structure has been associated with severe functional impairment of the testis in several conditions, including vasectomy, autoimmune orchitis, cryptorchidism, and following x-irradiation. We have used efferent duct ligation as a model to examine seminiferous...

Studies of the pathogenesis of glomerular disease have suggested that polymorphonuclear leucocytes promote glomerular damage. The pattern of events observed in the autologous phase of nephrotoxic serum nephritis in rabbits indicates that the fixation of antibodies to glomerular basement membrane initiates the activation and binding of complement. This results in the chemotaxis of polymorphonucl...

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 301 was part of a long term series of operations and experiments focused on quantifying hydrogeologic, lithologic, biogeochemical, and microbiological properties, processes, and linkages in basaltic crust on the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. This paper summarizes peer-reviewed hydrogeologic studies published since the end of Expedition 301...

The demonstration that epithelial cells of mouse and rat synthesize basement membrane antigens in tissue culture has established the concept that epithelia in general synthesize basement membrane (Pierce et al., 1964; Pierce and Nakane, 1967). Epithelial basement membranes contain hydroxyproline (Mukerjee et al., 1965). In addition, these membranes contain antigens shared by collagen and other ...

Several monoclonal antibodies raised against a glycoprotein-enriched fraction of adult muscle membranes of Locusta migratoria selectively stain particles within haemocytes and basement membrane in developing locust embryos. Haemocytes containing immunoreactive particles are found associated with areas where basement membrane is being laid down. The underlying ectoderm does not show immunoreacti...