The proteins of human gallbladder bile with and without gallstones

1. 1. Seventy-four human gallbladder bile samples were analyzed for proteins by techniques of disc-gel electrophoresis combined with immunodiffusion and standard gel-immunoelectrophoresis, employing antiserum to human serum proteins and antisera against normal and against stone-containing human gallbladder bile. Numbers of proteins averaged 6 to 8 per bile with a range up to 16. Albumin and pigment were commonest and greatest in amount. Serum proteins were identified immunochemically and averaged 4 to 6 per bile with a range up to 13, documenting the consistency, multiplicity and normalcy of the presence of serum proteins in bile. 2. 2. Bile-specific protein was demonstrated by: (a) quantitatively more proteins by chemical staining than by reaction with antiserum to human serum; (b) quantitatively more reactions with anti-bile than with anti-serum antisera; (c) differences in locale of immunoreactions and reactions of non-identity along the electrophoretic migration pathway; and (d) immunoreactions to anti-bile-antiserum-absorbed-with-whole-serum on combined disc electrophoresis-immunodiffusion, standard immunoelectrophoresis and Ouchterlony immunodiffusion. One to 4 specific proteins were demonstrated in from 8% to 95% of biles tested by any one of these methods. These proteins occurred preponderantly in pigment-prealbumin and α1-globulin zones of standard immunoelectrophoresis and in post-albumin and pre-stacking gel zones of disc electrophoresis. Evidence for a difference in specific proteins between normal and stone bile was obtained when differences were demonstrated between anti-normal-bile and anti-stone-bile antisera. It was hypothesized that the difference may indicate stone bile lacks protein in normal bile or contains protein immunologically different from that in normal bile, hence “abnormal” protein.