Immunochemical study of a human myeloma IgG1 half molecule

The serum of a patient with multiple myeloma contained an IgG1 kappa monoclonal protein which existed in two molecular species: one with and one without inter-heavy chain covalent bonds, the latter dissociating into half molecules without reduction. The half molecules were present in the urine together with a kappa Bence-Jones protein. This peculiar protein was discovered because the serum and urinary IgG formed double percipitin lines when analysed by immunoelectrophoresis with an antiserum to gamma chains, the inner line being due to residual normal IgG. The isolated half molecule, as well as the major constituent of the 7 S IgG fraction, failed to precipitate with most antisera specific for the Fc fragment of IgG. The half molecule lacked the Gm(non a) marker and other antigenic determinants of the third constant region of gamma1 chains. No isotypic or allotypic antigenic determinant of another immunoglobulin class or subclass was detected. The molecular weights of the 7 S molecule, the half molecule and its covalently linked heavy and light chains were about normal, suggesting that they did not have a large deletion which could have caused the lack of interheavy chain covalent bonds. The hinge peptide appeared normal after high voltage electrophoresis of the peptic-tryptic digest of the reduced and alkylated half molecule. The carboxy-terminus of the heavy chain and the amino acid composition of the molecule were similar to those of IgG1 myeloma proteins. Two cysteinyl peptides of the CH3 domain showed on a diagonal peptidic map an electrophoretic mobility somewhat different from that of the corresponding peptides of an IgG1 myeloma protein. Another peculiar feature of this protein was the presence of galactosamine. Idiotypic determinants of the half molecule were present in the 7 S fraction, suggesting that the 7 S IgG molecules and the half molecules were derived from the same clone of tumour cells. Lack of material precluded further characterization of the structural abnormality--probably located in the third constant domain of the heavy chain--responsible for the absence of most antigenic determinants of the Fc region of IgG1 and for the formation of half molecules. This abnormality could be a small deletion undetectable by molecular weight measurements or an unidentified exchange of genetic material. Family members of the patient could not be studied in order to investigate whether this immunoglobulin abnormality reflected a minor genetic variant or a mutational event.