LAB #7 : ELECTROPHORESIS

Introduction :

Protein electrophoresis is used to evaluate, diagnose and monitor a variety of diseases and conditions.  It is a technique used to separate different elements (fractions) of a blood sample into individual components.  Serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) is a screening test that is used to determine the total amount of protein in the blood and to establish the levels of the major blood proteins by separating them into five distinct fractions: albumin, alpha1, alpha2, beta, and gamma proteins.

Albumin is a protein that is made in the liver.  It helps to retain elements like calcium, some hormones, and certain drugs in the circulation by binding to them to prevent their being filtered out by the kidneys.  Albumin also acts to regulate the movement of water between the tissues and the bloodstream by attracting water to areas with higher concentrations of salts or proteins.

Globulins are another type of protein, larger than albumin.  They are divided into three main groups : alpha, beta and gamma.

Alpha globulins are proteins that include alpha1 and alpha2 globulins.  Alpha1 globulin is predominantly alpha1-antitrypsin, an enzyme produced by the lungs and liver.  Alpha2 globulin, which includes serum haptoglobin, is a protein that binds hemoglobin to prevent its excretion by the kidneys.  Various other alpha globulins are produced because of inflammation, tissue damage, autoimmune disorders, or certain cancers.

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Beta globulins include low-density substances involved in fat transport (lipoproteins), iron transport (transferring), and blood clotting (plasminogen and complement).

Gamma globulins are all antibodies—proteins produced by the immune system in response to infection, allergic reactions, and organ transplants.  If serum protein electrophoresis has demonstrated a significant rise at the gamma-globulin level, immunoelectrophoresis is done to identify the specific globulin that is involved.(1)

All proteins have an electrical charge.  The SPEP test is designed to make use of this characteristic.  There is some difference in method, but the sample is placed in or on a special medium and an electric current is ...

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