GENETIC CHARACTERS OF HUMAN γ-GLOBULINS IN MYELOMA PROTEINS

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Abstract
The genetic factors Gm(a), Gm(b), Gm(x) and Inv(a), Inv(b) described for normal human gamma-globulin were all found in different myeloma proteins. A single myeloma protein never contained more than one product of alternate alleles even in heterozygous individuals. However, factors determined by the two different loci were often found in the same myeloma protein. The Gm(a) character of the myeloma protein paralleled that of the normal gamma-globulin of the same serum in most cases. In contrast, the Gm(b) character was usually absent in the myeloma protein when it was directly demonstrable in the normal gamma-globulin. The myeloma protein from six Negroes were Gm(a+b-), whereas the normal gamma-globulin was Gm(a+b+). This indicates that the effect of gene Gmb is similar in Negroes and whites, even though its relation to gene Gma is different in the two races.