Light-chain multiple myeloma in a cat

A diagnosis of light-chain multiple myeloma was made in an 11-year-old male American Shorthair cat. The cat showed atypical plasma cell infiltration in the bone marrow, biclonal gammopathy caused by polymerization of myeloma protein (M-protein), and Bence-Jones proteinuria. The M-protein in the serum of the cat was analyzed by using 12% sodium dodeyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with Coomassie brilliant blue staining. An intense band with a size of 27 kDa, the size of the immunoglobulin light chain, was clearly observed, whereas the band corresponding to the immunoglobulin heavy chain (59 kDa) was undetectable. The 27-kDa band was confirmed to be an immunoglobulin light chain by Western blotting by using antibodies for feline immunoglobulin. These data suggested that the neoplastic plasma cells produce light chain only, leading to the diagnosis of light-chain multiple myeloma in the cat.