In Humans
There are two types of light chain in humans (as in other mammals),
- kappa (κ) chain, encoded by the immunoglobulin kappa locus (IGK@) on chromosome 2
- lambda (λ) chain, encoded by the immunoglobulin lambda locus (IGL@) on chromosome 22
Antibodies are produced by B lymphocytes, each expressing only one class of light chain. Once set, light chain class remains fixed for the life of the B lymphocyte. In a healthy individual, the total kappa to lambda ratio is roughly 2:1 in serum (measuring intact whole antibodies) or 1:1.5 if measuring free light chains, with a highly divergent ratio indicative of neoplasm.
The exact normal ratio of kappa to lambda, according to a novel polyclonal free light chain assay, ranges from 0.26 to 1.65. Both the kappa and the lambda chains can increase proportionately, maintaining a normal ratio. This is usually indicative of something other than a blood cell dyscrasia, such as kidney disease.
Read more about this topic: Immunoglobulin Light Chain
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