HPLC chromatofocusing of human immunoglobulins

A method is described for fractionation and analysis of IgA, IgM, and IgG and antibodies in human serum and/or plasma using a combination of HPLC chromatofocusing and immunoassay. A pH 9.0-3.2 gradient is utilized to separate the major proteins in the complex biological samples and monoclonal antibody based ELISAs used to determine the isotype profiles. Antigen-specific ELISAs are subsequently utilized to determine the distribution of antibody species within the chromatofocused specimens. This method is versatile since multiple simultaneous assays can easily be run on each fraction generating extensive qualitative information regarding immunoglobulin classes, subclasses, and antibodies and their distribution profiles. Such spectra will prove useful for experimental kinetic analysis of the humoral immune status of humans and experimental animals.