Skip to main content
Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1969 Jul;5(1):83–90.

Urinary light chain excretion in leukaemia and lymphoma

F D Lindström, R C Williams, Athanasios Theologides
PMCID: PMC1579080  PMID: 4182787

Abstract

Immunoglobulins are produced by plasma cells. However, tissue culture and fluorescent antibody techniques have also demonstrated that other leucocytes, mainly lymphocytes, may synthesize immunoglobulins. In the aberrant protein synthesis of myeloma there is often excessive production of electrophoretically homogeneous light polypeptide chains, appearing in the urine as Bence Jones protein. Among a group of seventy-six patients with leukaemia and lymphoma, nineteen showed quantitatively increased excretion of urinary light chains (> 100 mg/24 hr). In all instances the light chain excretion of one dominating light-chain group (κ) was present. Studies of the κ/λ ratio in serum and isolated γG-globulin were made and appeared normal in the expected 2:1 range. By cellulose acetate electrophoresis these light polypeptide chains from the leukaemia–lymphoma group appeared considerably more heterogeneous than Bence Jones proteins from multiple myeloma.

Full text

PDF
88

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. EDELMAN G. M., POULIK M. D. Studies on structural units of the gamma-globulins. J Exp Med. 1961 May 1;113:861–884. doi: 10.1084/jem.113.5.861. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Fahey J. L., Finegold I., Rabson A. S., Manaker R. A. Immunoglobulin synthesis in vitro by established human cell lines. Science. 1966 May 27;152(3726):1259–1261. doi: 10.1126/science.152.3726.1259. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Finegold I., Fahey J. L., Granger H. Synthesis of immunoglobulins by human cell lines in tissue culture. J Immunol. 1967 Nov;99(5):839–848. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Levi D. F., Williams R. C., Jr, Lindstrom F. D. Immunofluorescent studies of the myeloma kidney with special reference to light chain disease. Am J Med. 1968 Jun;44(6):922–933. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(68)90092-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Lindström F. D., Williams R. C., Jr, Swaim W. R., Freier E. F. Urinary light-chain excretionin myeloma and other disorders--an evaluation of the Bence-Jones test. J Lab Clin Med. 1968 May;71(5):812–825. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. OUDIN J. B. Specific precipitation in gels and its application to immunochemical analysis. Methods Med Res. 1952;5:335–378. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. PUTNAM F. W., EASLEY C. W., LYNN L. T., RITCHIE A. E., PHELPS R. A. The heat precipitation of Bence-Jones proteins. I. Optimum conditions. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1959 Jul;83(1):115–130. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(59)90016-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. RAYMOND S. A convenient apparatus for vertical gel electrophoresis. Clin Chem. 1962 Sep-Oct;8:455–470. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. SOLOMON A., WALDMANN T. A., FAHEY J. L., MCFARLANE A. S. METABOLISM OF BENCE JONES PROTEINS. J Clin Invest. 1964 Jan;43:103–117. doi: 10.1172/JCI104884. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Seligmann M., Fourcade A., Danon F., Basch A. Types K et L des chaines légères des macroglobulines (Ig M) pathologiques humaines. Rev Fr Etud Clin Biol. 1967 Dec;12(10):998–1002. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Tanigaki N., Yagi Y., Moore G. E., Pressman D. Immunoglobulin production in human leukemia cell lines. J Immunol. 1966 Nov;97(5):634–646. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Trujillo J. M., List-Young B., Butler J. J., Shullenberger C. C., Gott C. Long-term culture of lymph node tissue from a patient with lymphocytic lymphoma. Nature. 1966 Jan 15;209(5020):310–311. doi: 10.1038/209310a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Vaughan J. H., Jacox R. F., Gray B. A. Light and heavy chain components of gamma globulins in urines of normal persons and patients with agammaglobulinemia. J Clin Invest. 1967 Feb;46(2):266–279. doi: 10.1172/JCI105529. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. WALDENSTROM J. Studies on conditions associated with disturbed gamma globulin formation (gammopathies). Harvey Lect. 1960;56:211–231. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Wochner R. D., Strober W., Waldmann T. A. The role of the kidney in the catabolism of Bence Jones proteins and immunoglobulin fragments. J Exp Med. 1967 Aug 1;126(2):207–221. doi: 10.1084/jem.126.2.207. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Clinical and Experimental Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES