A monoclonal IgM protein with antibody-like activity for human albumin.

The serum of a patient (L'ec) with an IgM lambda monoclonal protein was noted to bind albumin on immunoelectrophoresis. Analytical ultracentrifugation of the L'ec serum demonstrated 23S and 12S peaks, but no 4S (albumin) boundary. Immunologically identical 20S and 9S IgM proteins were isolated from the serum and the addition in vitro of either the patient's albumin or albumin isolated from normal serum was shown to reconstitute the 23S and 12S boundaries. The binding of high molecular weight IgM to albumin was demonstated by Sephadex G200 chromatography with (125)I-labeled albumin and isolated IgM. Immunoelectrophoresis of the L'ec IgM developed with aggregated albumin (reverse immunoelectrophoresis) also demonstrated the binding of albumin to IgM. That all of the patient's IgM complexed with albumin was shown by affinity chromatography employing an aggregated albumin-immunoadsorbent column. Binding was shown to be of the noncovalent type by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in 8 M urea. With hot trypsin proteolysis, Fabmu and Fcmu5 fragments were isolated, and monomer albumin was shown to complex only with the Fabmu fragment by both analytical ultracentrifugation and molecular sieve chromatogaphy employing (125)I-labeled Fab fragments. 1 mol of Fabmu fragment bound 1 mol of monomer albumin. Polymers of human albumin, produced by heat aggregation, precipitated with the isolated L'ec protein on gel diffusion analysis and, when coated on sheep red blood cells, gave a hemagglutination titer greater than 1 million with the whole L'ec serum. 50 additional monoclonal IgM, 33 IgA, and 80 IgG sera failed to show precipitation or hemagglutination with aggregated albumin. Native monomer albumin inhibited precipitation only at high concentrations (> 50 mg/ml); dimer albumin or fragments of albumin produced by trypsin digestion inhibited at low concentrations (0.4 mg/ml). No reactivity occurred with the albumin of five other mammalian species, including bovine. The L'ec protein has the characteristics of an antibody against aggregated albumin, which also has reactivity with native (monomer) albumin. This system shares many similarities with the reaction of IgM human rheumatoid factors with IgG antigen.