Evidence for involvement of IgA1 hinge glycopeptide in the IgA1-IgA1 interaction in IgA nephropathy

The study was performed to investigate the role of the IgA1 hinge region in the IgA1-IgA1 interaction, which was observed previously in IgA nephropathy. The competitive inhibition assays of the IgA1-IgA1 binding were performed using the following candidates for inhibitors: native IgA1 hinge glycopeptide (nHGP), IgA1, IgA2, and IgG. The IgA1-IgA1 binding was definitely inhibited by the nHGP and the IgA1 (maximum of percent inhibition: 66.1 and 60.5%, respectively). There was no obvious inhibition in the IgA2 and the IgG. The inhibition curves of the nHGP and the IgA1 were significantly different from that of the IgG (P < 0.01, respectively). Furthermore, to reveal the detailed binding sites in the interaction, the same inhibition assays were performed using the following substances composing the IgA1 hinge glycopeptide: galactose (Gal), N-acetyl-galactosamine (GalNAc), Gal beta 1-3GalNAc, sialic acid, tetrapeptide PTPS, and synthesized hinge proline-rich peptide PVPSTPPTPSPSTPPTPSPS (sHP). sHP, Gal beta 1-3GalNAc, Gal, and GalNAc inhibited the binding (69.3, 34.1, 14.9, 14.6%, respectively). No obvious inhibition was observed in sialic acid and tetrapeptide PTPS. The inhibition curve of sHP was significantly different from that of the PTPS (P < 0.05). Those of Gal beta 1-3GalNAc, Gal, and GalNAc were also significantly different from that of sialic acid (P < 0.05, respectively). These results suggested that the IgA1-IgA1 interaction could be mediated by the core structure including the peptide and the sugars, except for sialic acid in the hinge region, resulting in the formation of the circulating macromolecular IgA1 in IgA nephropathy.