What is the difference between gamma globulin and IgG?
In the past the terms were used interchangeably, but there is a difference. There are IgGs in the gamma globulin fraction along with the other gamma globulin proteins but only gamma globulin G is in the IgG fraction. When blood serum is placed on a specific medium and exposed to an electric current, the various proteins migrate to form bands according to their electrophoretic mobility and indicate the relative proportion of each protein fraction. The gamma globulin fraction band of serum usually contains at least 3 of the 5 Immunoglobulin proteins which migrate together. The highest percentage are Immunoglobulin G (IgG), followed by Immunoglobulin M (IgM) , and then an even smaller percentage of Immunoglobulin A (IgA). The gamma fraction may also contain traces of Immunoglobulin D & E. The gamma globulin fraction can then be further fractionated into its separate components. The IgG fraction makes up the majority of the gamma globulin fraction. When the Immunoglobulin G fraction is rem
