In healthy humans, 60-70% of the B lymphocytes produce kappa light chains, while the remaining cells produce lambda light chains. Malignant transformation and clonal expansion of B lymphocytes lead to an altered kappa : lambda expression ratio, which is an important diagnostic criteria of lymphomas. Here, we compared three methods for clonality determination of suspected B cell lymphomas. Tumor biopsies from 55 patients with B cell malignancies, 5 B-lymphoid tumor cell lines, and 20 biopsies from patients with lymphadenitis were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, and reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR. Clonality was determined by immunohistochemistry in 52/53 cases, flow cytometry in 30/39 cases, and reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR in 33/55 cases. In conclusion, immunohistochemistry was superior to flow cytometry and reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR for clonality identification. Flow cytometry and reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR analysis has complementary values. In a considerable number of cases tumor cells produced both kappa and lambda light chain transcripts, but only one type of light chain peptide was produced.

Fujirebio Diagnostics AB Elof Lindälvs Gata 13 402 42 Gothenburg Sweden

Sahlgrenska Cancer Center Sahlgrenska Academy University of Gothenburg 405 30 Gothenburg Sweden

Sahlgrenska Cancer Center Sahlgrenska Academy University of Gothenburg 405 30 Gothenburg Sweden ; TATAA Biocenter Odinsgatan 28 411 03 Gothenburg Sweden

TATAA Biocenter Odinsgatan 28 411 03 Gothenburg Sweden

TATAA Biocenter Odinsgatan 28 411 03 Gothenburg Sweden ; Institute of Biotechnology AS CR Videnska 1083 142 20 Prague 4 Czech Republic

See more in PubMed

Levy R, Warnke R, Dorfman RF, Haimovich J. The monoclonality of human B cell lymphomas. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 1977;145(4):1014–1028. PubMed PMC

Liang H-E, Hsu L-Y, Cado D, Schlissel MS. Variegated transcriptional activation of the immunoglobulin κ locus in pre-B cells contributes to the allelic exclusion of light-chain expression. Cell. 2004;118(1):19–29. PubMed

Barandun S, Morell A, Skvaril F, Oberdorfer A. Deficiency of kappa or λ type immunoglobulins. Blood. 1976;47(1):79–89. PubMed

Xu D. Dual surface immunoglobulin light-chain expression in B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. 2006;130(6):853–856. PubMed

Ståhlberg A, Åman P, Ridell B, Mostad P, Kubista M. Quantitative real-time PCR method for detection of B-lymphocyte monoclonality by comparison of κ and λ immunoglobulin light chain expression. Clinical Chemistry. 2003;49(1):51–59. PubMed

Chizuka A, Kanda Y, Nannya Y, et al. The diagnostic value of kappa/lambda ratios determined by flow cytometric analysis of biopsy specimens in B-cell lymphoma. Clinical and Laboratory Haematology. 2002;24(1):33–36. PubMed

Göransson M, Elias E, Ståhlberg A, Olofsson A, Andersson C, Åman P. Myxoid liposarcoma FUS-DDIT3 fusion oncogene induces C/EBP β-mediated interleukin 6 expression. International Journal of Cancer. 2005;115(4):556–560. PubMed

Picker LJ, Weiss LM, Medeiros LJ. Immunophenotypic criteria for the diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The American Journal of Pathology. 1987;128(1):181–201. PubMed PMC

Giachino C, Padovan E, Lanzavecchia A. κ+ λ+ Dual receptor B cells are present in the human peripheral repertoire. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 1995;181(3):1245–1250. PubMed PMC

Alt FW, Enea V, Bothwell ALM, Baltimore D. Activity of multiple light chain genes in murine myeloma cells producing a single, functional light chain. Cell. 1980;21(1):1–12. PubMed