Incidence and properties of aspartate aminotransferase-immunoglobulin complexes in patients with a high serum aspartate to alanine aminotransferase ratio.
Sera of 260 patients with high serum aspartate aminotransferase (L-aspartate: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, EC 2.6.1.1; AST)/alanine aminotransferase (L-alanine: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, EC 2.6.1.2; ALT) ratio (greater than 2.0) and high serum AST (greater than 45 IU/1) were selected and tested for the presence of immunoglobulin complexed-AST, by using immunoprecipitation reaction and counterimmunoelectrophoresis. The macromolecular AST was confirmed by size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). 34 patients out of 260 were found to have AST-immunoglobulin complexes (13.1%). The classes of AST-linked immunoglobulins were identified to be alpha in 28 cases (82.4%, P less than 0.01), mixed type of alpha and gamma in 5 cases (14.7%) gamma in one case (2.9%). Positive frequency was the highest in liver malignancies, either primary (9/26, 34.6%) or metastatic (7/17, 42.2%), followed by other malignancies (6/55, 10.9%) and chronic liver diseases (4/22, 18.2%). Thus, it can be strongly suggested that the immunoglobulin A complexed-AST is frequently found in association with liver malignancies.
Clinical Laboratory, Asahikawa Medical College, Japan.
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Moriyama
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Nobuoka
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Makino
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004796:Clinical Enzyme Tests; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors
D007136:Immunoglobulins; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase