Abstract: Membranous nephropathy(MN) is a kind of autoimmune disease caused by forming immune complex of antigen and antibody in glomerulus. A definite diagnosis is dependent upon renal biopsy and serological PLA2R1 test. And serological test is vital for further boosting the diagnostic rate of PLA2R1-negative membranous nephropathy and secondary membranous nephropathy and reaching a more accurate diagnosis in patients declining renal biopsy. Recent discovery of target antigen provides a robust serological basis for diagnosing this subset of membranous nephropathy. Also genetic advances have provided new directions for its diagnosis and treatment. Therefore it is imperative to clarify the pathogenesis of membranous nephropathy to provide valuable references for further improvements of its diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.