Simple technique for detection of cystic fibrosis heterozygotes and homozygotes.

We examined serum proteins from 18 CF subjects and 14 control individuals. 
We were unable to detect any consistent differences between the stained 
serum protein patterns of the CF and the control subjects. These 
patterns show greater resolution of proteins than those previously published, but, 
in contrast, no consistent differences between CF and control subjects. In 
addition, we have modified the published methods with procedures which would 
enhance the likelihood of electrophoretic detection of an abnormal protein with 
the reported properties. A portion of the samples analyzed by the 
published procedures also were analyzed by each of these modifications. None 
of the modified procedures showed consistent differences between serum proteins from 
the CF and the control subjects. No explanation is readily apparent 
for the difference between results of Thomas et al. and our 
own results on the one hand and the previously reported results 
on the other. We attempted to rigorously reproduce the isoelectric focusing 
techniques given in the literature. However, isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gel 
can be affected by small technical differences and, thus, factors essential 
to reproducing the techniques may not have been evident in the 
published procedure. 