Technical advanceApplication of Microfluidic Technology to the BIOMED-2 Protocol for Detection of B-Cell Clonality

The BIOMED-2 protocol is widely used for detecting clonality in lymphoproliferative disorders. The protocol requires multiple PCR reactions, which are analyzed by either capillary electrophoresis (GeneScan analysis) or heteroduplex PAGE analysis. We tested a microfluidic chip-based electrophoresis device (Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer) for the analysis of B-cell clonality using PCR for the three framework subregions (FR) of the Ig heavy chain gene (IGH) and PCR for two rearrangements occurring in the Ig κ chain gene (IGK-VJ and IGK-DE). We analyzed 62 B-cell lymphomas (33 follicular and 29 nonfollicular) and 16 reactive lymph nodes. Chip-based electrophoresis was conclusive for monoclonality in 59/62 samples; for 20 samples, it was compared with GeneScan analysis. Concordant results were obtained in 45/55 IGH (FR1, FR2, and FR3) gene rearrangements, and in 34/37 IGK gene rearrangements. However, when the chip device was used to analyze selected IGK gene rearrangements (biallelic IGK rearrangements or IGK rearrangements in a polyclonal background), its performance was not completely accurate. We conclude, therefore, that this microfluidic chip-based electrophoresis device is reliable for testing cases with dominant PCR products but is less sensitive than GeneScan in detecting clonal peaks in a polyclonal background for IGH PCR, or with complex IGK rearrangement patterns.