Open AccessOccurrence of serum M‐protein species in Japanese patients older than 50 years based on relative mobility in cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis
Author(s) -
Kurihara Yuriko,
Shiba Kiyoko,
Fukumura Yukihito,
Kobayashi Isao,
Kamei Sachiko
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of clinical laboratory analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1098-2825
pISSN - 0887-8013
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-2825(2000)14:2<64::aid-jcla5>3.0.co;2-o
Subject(s) - cellulose acetate , albumin , carbohydrate , antibody , transport protein , electrophoresis , cellulose , chemistry , biology , medicine , endocrinology , immunology , biochemistry
We investigated the occurrence of serum M‐protein species in 2,007 Japanese patients older than 50 years of age. All sera samples were analyzed by cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis. The relative mobility of an M‐protein band was calculated by dividing the migration distance of M protein by that of albumin. M proteins were found to be present in 71 of 2,007 cases (3.5%). Men 80–89 years old showed the highest occurrence of M proteins, 11.0%. The relative mobility of M‐protein bands, especially the band of the IgA‐type M protein, increased as the patient's age advanced. The patients had higher levels of the IgG‐type M protein than healthy Japanese subjects. We found that the occurrence of M‐protein species in Japanese patients increases with their age. The IgG‐type M protein was most frequently expressed among other types. The mobility of the M protein was greater in older patients probably because of aging‐related changes in the carbohydrate chain of immunoglobulins composing an M‐protein molecule. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 14:64–69, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.