T-cell epitopes of PLA2R1 in membranous nephropathy: another step toward antigen-based immunotherapies.

Abstract

The discovery of phospholipase A2 receptor 1 as the major target antigen in membranous nephropathy (MN) has initiated a decade of major advances in the understanding of MN pathophysiology and improvement of patient care. In this Issue, Zhang et al. identified potential T-cell epitopes of phospholipase A2 receptor 1 in patients with MN. The characterization of the pathogenic T- and B-cell epitopes on phospholipase A2 receptor 1 is an important step moving from the current unspecific immunosuppressive therapies toward antigen-specific MN treatments.