Glomerular IgG subclasses in idiopathic and malignancy-associated membranous nephropathy

BACKGROUND: In idiopathic membranous nephropathy (MN), antibodies directed towards the glomerular phospholipase A(2) receptor (PLA(2)R) have mainly been reported to be of IgG4 subclass. However, the role of the different IgG subclasses in the pathogenesis of MN, both in idiopathic MN and in secondary cases, is still unclear. In this retrospective study, we test the hypothesis that the absence of glomerular IgG4 and PLA(2)R in patients with MN indicates malignant disease. METHODS: The distribution pattern of glomerular IgG subclasses and PLA(2)R was studied in 69 patients with idiopathic MN and 16 patients with malignancy-associated MN who were followed up for a mean of 83 months. RESULTS: A significant correlation between the absence of IgG4 and PLA(2)R and malignancy-associated MN was found. Thus, IgG4 was positive in 45 of 69 patients (65%) with idiopathic MN but only in 5 of 16 patients (31%) with malignancy-associated MN. The other IgG subclasses did not differ statistically between the groups, IgG2-positivity being present in more than 94% of patients in both groups. Thirty-five of 63 patients (56%) with idiopathic MN and 3 of 16 (19%) patients with malignancy-associated MN had glomerular deposits of PLA(2)R. CONCLUSIONS: We have found that the absence of glomerular IgG4 and PLA(2)R is common in patients with malignancy-associated MN. In our material, IgG2 could not be used as a marker of underlying malignant disease. Finally, neither IgG1 nor IgG3 seems to be involved in the pathogenesis of MN.