THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF FIBRONECTIN IN MULTIPLE-MYELOMA

Fibronectin (FN) has an active role in the immune response, interactin g with a number of different cells and components. It has been implica ted in the formation of cryoprecipitates in rheumatic diseases and is present in tissues where under pathological conditions immune complexe s are deposited. Under physiological conditions of pH and ionic streng th both heavy and light chain of all multiple myeloma and normal IgG s how affinity to FN. FN binds to both B and T cells and is shown to inh ibit thrombin and collagen-induced platelet aggregation. We have found elevated levels of FN in the plasma of multiple myeloma patients test ed compared to a group of normal subjects. Even though the level of FN did not correlate with the level of the paraprotein, our findings rai se the possibility that FN might be implicated in some of the clinical symptoms of multiple myeloma.