Proof has at last been provided that idiopathic membranous nephropathy is caused by autoantibodies to proteins expressed by podocytes. The discovery that autoantibodies to the M-type secretory phospholipase A2 receptor were present in most individuals affected by the condition opens a new era for the management of membranous nephropathy.
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Acknowledgements
A. Rees is funded by an EU Marie Curie excellence Chair (MEXC-CT-2006-042742).
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Rees, A., Kain, R. A watershed in the understanding of membranous nephropathy. Nat Rev Nephrol 5, 617–618 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneph.2009.167
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneph.2009.167
