Relationship of Serum Cryoglobulins and Their Composition to Glomerulonephritis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

For nearly a quarter-century, glomerulonephritis in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been the prototype of immune complex-mediated renal injury in man. Through investigation in many laboratories, most notably that of Dr. Henry Kunkel at The Rockefeller University, steady progress in our understanding has ensued. Certain important issues remain to be clarified. As a sign of sustained interest and vigor in this area, new observations continue to force changes in thinking about the mechanisms operant in this type of tissue injury. Therefore, it is appropriate to review briefly the lines of evidence which are important in the evolution of current concepts, and which may be relevant to interpretation of the experimental data obtained by immunochemical analysis of cryoprecipitates.