AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -CD138 is a protein present on plasma cells in the bone marrow, and on certain epithelial cells. The protein is useful to diagnose any neoplasms (tumors) growing in plasma cells. If a patient is to be tested for cancer, CD138 stains can be used to spot tumor cells.

Detailed explanation-2: -Plasma cells (PCs) are essentially characterized by the co-expression of CD138 and CD38, which allows their identification in flow cytometry in bone marrow (BM), peripheral blood, or cell suspensions from tissues.

Detailed explanation-3: -Background/Aim: CD38 is a cell surface marker commonly present in plasma cells and activated T cells, while CD138 is a representative plasma cell marker.

Detailed explanation-4: -Flow cytometric immunophenotyping has been used to identify neoplastic plasma cell populations in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Previous reports have described the use of several antigens, including CD38, CD138, CD56, CD117, CD52, CD19 and CD45, to distinguish distinct populations of plasma cells.