Pathogenetic significance of aberrant glycosylation of IgA1 in IgA nephropathy

IgA nephropathy (IgAN), the most common form of primary glomerulonephritis worldwide, is defined by predominant IgA1 deposits in the glomerular mesangium. Among abnormalities of the IgA immune system reported so far in IgAN, aberrant O-linked glycosylation in the hinge region of IgA1 is the most consistent finding. IgA1 molecules bearing abnormal glycosylation have been found in serum, in tonsillar lymphocytes, and in eluate from mesangial deposits, and characterized by decreased O-linked N-acetylgalactosamine residues with or without alteration in the terminal sialylation of the O-linked sugars. IgA1 with incomplete galactosylation has a tendency to accumulate in glomerular mesangium by self-aggregation or immune complex formation. Glomerular mesangial cells exposed to immune complexes of these IgA1 can proliferate and secrete cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, and extracellular matrix components promoting inflammatory reactions in the glomeruli. Although genes encoding enzymes involved in the O-glycosylation process, such as C1GALT1, have been reported to be responsible for susceptibility to IgAN, recent evidence suggests that the abnormality is restricted to a small fraction of B cell populations and arises from dysregulated IgA1 production and secretion in mucosal immune system. This review will focus on and discuss the role of incompleteness of IgA1 O-galactosylation in the pathogenesis of IgAN and propose a possible mechanism in which abnormal IgA1 occurs in IgAN.