Absence of association between the MCP-1 gene polymorphism and histological phenotype of lupus nephritis

Lupus nephritis presents two polar histological patterns, diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis (DPGN) and membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN). In the kidney tissue of DPGN, numerous mononuclear cells were seen in the interstitium and glomeruli; on the other hand in MGN, infiltrating cells were less frequent. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a potent chemoattractant for monocytes, T-cells, and natural killer cells. In this study we assessed the significance of the MCP-1 gene in determination of the histological phenotype in lupus nephritis. There was no association between the risk of DPGN and the MCP-1 gene genotype.