Advances in the pathogenesis of Goodpasture's disease: From epitopes to autoantibodies to effector T cells

Goodpasture's disease, an “organ-specific” autoimmune disease is manifest by rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis and pulmonary hemorrhage. Studies into the pathogenesis of this disease have shed light on the autoantigen (the non-collagenous domain of the α3 chain of type IV collagen, α3(IV)NC1) and its epitopes, as well as the involvement of autoantibodies and cellular effectors in disease. The discovery of α3(IV)NC1 lead to studies that...