The distribution of laminin, type IV collagen, and fibronectin was investigated in the rat kidney cortex by immunolabeling. It was demonstrated by immunofluorescence on both unfixed cryostat sections and fixed ultracryomicrotome sections, by immunoperoxidase on fixed cryostat sections, and by immunoferritin on isolated glomerular basement membranes (GBM). This multifaceted approach provided complementary and convergent results. Distinct patterns were found for each antigen in the glomerulus and remaining kidney cortex. Laminin was localized predominantly in the GBM, where it was concentrated in the laminae rarae. Staining also occurred to a lesser extent in the mesangial matrix. Type IV collagen was evenly distributed in the lamina densa of the GBM and in the mesangial matrix. Fibronectin was most abundant in the mesangial matrix, but it could also be detected in the peripheral GBM, where it was localized in the laminae rarae. Labeling for fibronectin was particularly prominent at the endothelial-mesangial interface. The findings indicate that the three layers of the GBM differ in their composition: The lamina densa contains type IV collagen and the laminae rarae contain the two attachment proteins, fibronectin and laminin. The mesangial matrix stains for all three antigens, but it is also heterogeneous and can be subdivided into several domains--i.e., the endothelial-mesangial matrix, which is particularly rich in fibronectin, the intermesangial matrix, which contains mainly type IV collagen and fibronectin, and the GBM (where it continues over the mesangial regions), which stains most heavily for laminin.