Immunoglobulin (Ig) light chain (LC) amyloidosis (AL) is characterized by the overproduction and tissue deposition of monoclonal LC in various organs and tissues. The plasma circulating monoclonal LC is believed to be the precursor of the deposited protein and in vitro studies aimed at understanding AL pathobiology have mainly focused on LC and its variable domain. While 33% of patients have free circulating monoclonal LC, ∼40% feature LC complexed to heavy chain (HC) forming a monoclonal intact Ig; the significance of free vs. bound LC in the amyloid forming pathway is unknown. To address this issue, we developed a cell-based model using stable mouse plasmacytoma Sp2/0 cells that co-express patient-derived amyloidogenic LC and HC proteins. The system was designed using amyloidogenic kappa and lambda LC, and gamma HC sequences; stable production and secretion of either free LC and/or intact Ig were accomplished by varying the LC to HC ratios. This novel cell-based system provides a relevant tool to systematically investigate LC and HC interactions, and the molecular events leading to the development of AL amyloidosis.
Keywords: AL amyloidosis; expression and secretion; immunoglobulin light and heavy chains; plasma cell-based model; protein cloning.