Cationic glycoproteins in sera of patients with acute infections identified as kappa light chain glycosylated IgG.
In half of the sera from patients with acute bacterial infections and 15% of the sera from patients with acute viral infections glycoproteins were found that form a scalariform pattern in the cationic range upon isoelectric focusing. The cationic glycoproteins appeared with the clinical illness. After subsidence of the symptoms they disappeared within 4 to 6 weeks. The proteins were identified as immunoglobulin G (IgG) by determination of the NH2-terminal amino acid sequence. Remarkably, these IgG only contained light chains of the kappa type with high proportions of carbohydrates. Both, N-glycosidic- and O-glycosidic-bound glycans were present. The glycosylated light chains may render the cationic IgG multireactive. Thus, it may be part of an early nonspecific immune defense mechanism.
Ritter
K
K
Hygiene-Institut der Universität, Abteilung Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Göttingen, Germany.
Wiebusch
A
A
Mäder
M
M
Eiffert
H
H
Kratzin
H
H
Thomssen
R
R
D000208:Acute Disease; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D002412:Cations; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D006031:Glycosylation; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007145:Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*
D002412:Cations; D006023:Glycoproteins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains; D007145:Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains