Adhesion of Immunoglobulins to Band3 Promotes Increased Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate in Multiple Myeloma

An increase in ESR can be seen in approximately 85% of patients with MM [1]. Therefore, ESR is often used as one of the sensitive indicators of active MM [1]. It is now widely accepted that the increase in ESR is related to the adhesion of immunoglobulins secreted by myeloma cells to erythrocytes [2, 3]. However, this explanation is descriptive and speculative and has not been confirmed by experimental data [3].

We applied peripheral blood erythrocyte samples from MM patients and used immunofluorescence/immunoprecipitation tandem protein analysis/molecular docking to determine the molecular mechanism by which all types of MM immunoglobulins can target and adhere to erythrocyte membrane Band3.

This result, not only helps to explain the molecular mechanism of ESR acceleration in MM, but will also advance our understanding of the pathophysiologic changes that occur in ESR. At the same time, it may provide a new way to target protection of normal erythrocytes and targeted removal of erythrocyte-bound immunoglobulins.