Immunohistochemical demonstration of membrane cofactor protein (MCP) of complement in normal and diseased kidney tissues.

The immunohistochemically stained membrane cofactor protein of complement (MCP/CD46), one of the complement regulatory proteins, was up-regulated in some diseased kidney tissues. MCP in diseased kidneys was strongly concentrated along the glomerular capillary walls as well as in the mesangial regions, while MCP in normal kidneys was weakly detected in all glomerular structural cells and in the epithelial cells of tubules. Since the enhanced staining was noted in those areas where depositions of C3b/C3c occurred, ongoing complement reaction might be responsible for the up-regulation of MCP expression. MCP expression may be up-regulated by complement fragments generated during complement activation in glomerulonephritis. Furthermore, anti-MCP staining was stronger in intensity in patients with moderate to massive proteinuria, indicating that up-regulation of MCP expression could be directly correlated to the kidney damage.