Immunofixation Electrophoresis: Evaluation of Protein Polymorphism

IMMUNOFIXATION ELECTROPHORESIS: EVALUATION OF PROTEIN POLYMORPHISM
IMMUNOFIXATION ELECTROPHORESIS: EVALUATION OF PROTEIN POLYMORPHISM
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Author’s Note

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IMMUNOFIXATION ELECTROPHORESIS: EVALUATION OF PROTEIN POLYMORPHISM
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Aim of the study.........................................................................................................................5
Material and methods.................................................................................................................5
Result..........................................................................................................................................6
Discussion:.................................................................................................................................7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
References................................................................................................................................10

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IMMUNOFIXATION ELECTROPHORESIS: EVALUATION OF PROTEIN POLYMORPHISM
Introduction
The detection of paraprotein, which might be found in the blood due to malignancy or
other diseases, could be achieved by the use of SPEP or the serum protein electrophoresis
along with UPEP or the Urine protein electrophoresis. These methods are used to separate the
protein from a complex mixture, based on the charge, shape and size in the buffered of gel
agarose, after exposing the protein samples to certain buffering medium along with electronic
current (van de Donk et al. 2016). The gel is then stained in order to capture the
electropherogram so as to identify the pattern of the bands formed and evaluate it
accordingly. Albumin, alpha-1, alpha-2, beta 1, beta 2, and gamma globulin protein can be
measured and analysed by serum protein electrophoresis. The gamma globulin protein is
clinically significant as immunoglobulins migrate to it and the pattern of the gamma globulin
band observed in the conventional electrophoresis of the serum protein comprises of a total of
five immunoglobulins, namely immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin M,
immunoglobulin D and immunoglobulin E. In the normal human serum, eighty percent of
gamma globulin is IgG (immunoglobulin G) approximately, about fifteen percent is IgA
(immunoglobulin A), and five percent is IgM (immunoglobulin M) along with traces of IgD
(immunoglobulin D) and IgE (immunoglobulin E). The amount of the M protein quantified
by other tests along with the diagnostic results of the bone marrow biopsy analysed in
addition with the other characteristics could help in differentiating the multiple myeloma
anomaly from other causal agents of monoclonal gammopathy. However, the polyclonal
gammopathies might be due to inflammation (Papadea and Schlosser 2015). Therefore, the
immunofixation electrophoresis must be conducted with precision and executed with
adequate care as it is sensitive towards the small monoclonal (M) protein (Kuriakose,
Cheppayil, Narayanan and Vasudevan 2019).

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IMMUNOFIXATION ELECTROPHORESIS: EVALUATION OF PROTEIN POLYMORPHISM
The serum protein electrophoresis generally is conducted for the identification of the
individuals with multiple myeloma along with other disorders of the serum protein. The
proteins in the serum are separated by the electrophoresis on the basis of the physical
properties in addition with the subsets of the proteins which are then evaluated to analyse the
pattern and interpreting the presence of the anomaly or diseased condition if any (Papadea
and Schlosser 2015). The plasma protein levels respond to the acute inflammation, trauma,
malignancy, infarction, necrosis, chemical injury and burns and these responses alter the
pattern of the protein levels. The monoclonal protein or the M protein associated with a wide
range of disorders.
The homogeneous spike kind of a peak amidst the focal region in gamma-globulin
zone signifies monoclonal gammopathy (Keren 2017). These anomaly includes the
monoclonal gammopathy (MG) ,which is classified when a circulation of paraprotein is
present, B cell malignancy such as multiple myeloma (MM), malignancy plasmocytes, and B
lymphocytes, which normally produces an excessive amount of free light chain namely kappa
and lambda (Winter 2012). The amount of the M protein quantified by other tests along with
the diagnostic results of the bone marrow biopsy analysed in addition with the other
characteristics could help in differentiating the multiple myeloma anomaly from other causal
agents of monoclonal gammopathy. However, the polyclonal gammopathies might be due to
inflammation (Papadea and Schlosser 2015). Therefore, the immunofixation electrophoresis
must be conducted with precision and executed with adequate care as it is sensitive towards
the small monoclonal (M) protein (Kuriakose, Cheppayil, Narayanan and Vasudevan 2019).
The classification along with the characterisation of specific paraproteins is obtained
by the immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) technique. The immunofixation electrophoresis