IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is a complex trait determined by genetic and environmental factors.
Most IgAN patients exhibit a characteristic undergalactosylation of the O-glycans of the IgA1
hinge region, which promotes formation and glomerular deposition of immune complexes. It
is not known whether this aberrant glycosylation is the result of an acquired or inherited
defect, or whether the presence of aberrant IgA1 glycoforms alone can produce IgAN. A
newly validated lectin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine …