Bence Jones Protein Body

The Bence-Jones protein complex was first described in 1931 by the Belgian physician Benedict Bense. It was known as protein bodies obtained from the fluids or secretions of glands as a result of the removal of elements not specific to these glands (for example, after removal of tumor cells or removal of tissue after surgery). The complex includes several proteins that are usually found only in normal glands and are rarely found separately. Proteins are linked to each other by molecular bonds, so their properties vary depending on the complex in which they are presented. The name comes from the names of the two researchers who discovered these complexes - Bense and Jones.

According to the classification of proteins according to the names of the authors who studied these proteins, three variants of the Bence-Jones complex are distinguished:

* Bence-Jones protein has an isoelectric point around pH 4.5. Consists of 3 unrelated components, mucin M proteins. Normally, M proteins are secreted by exocrine glands. Structurally, they are large secretory polypeptides, consisting of an M chain, an N-terminal peptide and interferon. The presence of these components in concentrations exceeding the norm can cause obstruction of the glands; * glucosidase Bence - John -