What type of lymphocytes can be recognized by the anti-kappa marker?

The anti-kappa marker is specifically used to identify B lymphocytes. This marker recognizes kappa light chains, which are one of two types of light chains that can be produced by B cells during the process of immunoglobulin production. Each B cell develops and differentiates to produce a unique antibody, which can either have kappa or lambda light chains.

When a flow cytometry analysis uses the anti-kappa marker, it targets and helps to identify those B cells that are expressing kappa light chains. This is particularly important in clinical settings such as the diagnosis of hematological disorders, including various types of leukemias and lymphomas, where the presence or absence of one type of light chain can guide diagnosis and prognosis.

In contrast, monocytes, T cells, and NK cells do not express kappa light chains; thus, they would not be positively identified using the anti-kappa marker. Monocytes are a type of white blood cell involved in the immune response but are not lymphocytes, and T cells and NK cells have distinct markers that identify them (such as CD markers) but not kappa light chains.