CIRCULATING HIGH-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT IGG FIBRONECTIN COMPLEXES IN MYELOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDERS

The plasma of patients with myeloproliferative diseases was examined by polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation, analytical ultracentrifugation, and immunoaffinity chromatography for the presence of high molecular weight complexes of IgG and fibronectin. Abnormal circulating high molecular weight material was identified by ultracentrifugation in all patients. This was precipitated by PEG and was shown by exclusion chromatography to contain IgG in a high molecular weight form. Examination of plasma by immunoaffinity chromatography supported previous evidence for complex formation between IgG and fibronectin. These findings are further evidence that abnormal high molecular weight IgG complexes are a prominent feature of myeloproliferative disorders and implicate IgG fibronectin complex formation.