There is increasing evidence to suggest that the renal tubular epithelium is important in the
pathogenesis of progressive renal failure resulting from persistent proteinuria. The role of
complement in the progression of chronic renal failure is not well defined. The purpose of
this study was to characterize the production of complement by human proximal tubular
epithelial cells exposed to serum proteins at the apical surface. Complement C3 gene
expression was analyzed by reverse transcription and PCR. C3 protein biosynthesis was …