Immunological activity, characterized by the production of anti-dsDNA antibodies, was accompanied by induction of CD44 expression in both glomerular and tubular cells, and onset of nephritis and progression to CKD was accompanied by a significant increase in CD44 expression in crescents and within the tubulo-interstitium, the latter attributed in part by infiltration of CD44+ immune cells. This evidence concerns the gene CD44 and chronic kidney disease.