Test Guide Mobile

Urine Tubular Protein Profile

Urine
Test performed by: LabPLUS VIM Proteins

This test may be vetted by a pathologist.

The clinical information for the test must be clearly written on the request form. If clinical information is not provided, or does not provide sufficient justification for the test, the test may be declined.

Declined tests :

If a test is declined, the specimen will be held for a reasonable period (usually 3 weeks but dependant on the stability of the sample). Medical practitioners seeking approval for a declined test should email the on-call Chemical Pathologist ( chemicalpathologist@adhb.govt.nz ) , giving the patient's name and NHI number and the clinical justification for the test. If unable to email, call the on-call Chemical Pathologist via Lablink (09-3078995) and identify yourself as a doctor.

Test vetting policy

Specimen Collection
Specimen collection (for ADHB only):

Fresh casual (spot) urine only. 24 hour urine is not acceptable.

- If the urine is freshly collected at Grafton site , it can go into a plain container. However, it MUST be brought (not through Lamson tube) to Labplus as soon as it is passed. Make the specimen reception staff aware of the sample upon delivery. The urine will be adjusted to pH 7- 8 as soon as it arrives.

- If the urine is collected at Greenlane site or considerable delay in transport is expected, the fresh urine should be collected into special pots which contains 1ml of Tris-Cl buffer. It can be obtained by ringing up Labplus specimen reception at 22119 or Automation Laboratory Specimen Services (ALSS) section at 24627 or 22118 prior to collection.

20 mL Sterile Container Urine (Always Required)
Turnaround Time: Between 2 days and 4 days
Assay Method
Protein electrophoresis/Immunofixation using the Hydrasis

Diagnostic Use and Interpretation
The urine tubular protein profile test can be used when the cause of proteinuria is unclear and renal tubular damage/dysfunction is suspected.

It is a qualitative test aimed at detecting the following urinary proteins:

- Tubular : beta-2 microglobulin, alpha-1 microglobulin, retinol binding protein

- Glomerular : albumin

- Blood contamination: albumin and alpha-2 macroglobulin.

This test is not for detection of urine Bence Jones proteins or paraproteins. If clonal gammopathy is suspected, serum and urine protein electrophoresis should be requested separately.

Detailed clinical details, including an indication of the suspected issue, will ensure efficient reporting.

Contact Information
Emails to chemicalpathologist@adhb.govt.nz will receive priority attention from the on-call chemical pathologist.
If the query concerns a specific patient please include the NHI number in your email.

If email is not a suitable option, please contact the on-call chemical pathologist via Lablink (Auckland City Hospital ext. 22000 or 09-3078995).

Individual chemical pathologists may be contacted but will not be available at all times.

After-hours : contact Lablink (Auckland City Hospital ext. 22000 or 09-3078995) or hospital operator for on duty staff after hours.

Dr Samarina Musaad (Clinical Lead) : SamarinaM@adhb.govt.nz ext. 22402

Dr Cam Kyle: CampbellK@adhb.govt.nz ext 22052

Dr Weldon Chiu: WeldonC@adhb.govt.nz ext. 23427

Dr Campbell Heron: CHeron@adhb.govt.nz ext. 23427

Dr Sakunthala Jayasinghe: Sakunthala@adhb.govt.nz ext. 23427

Specimen Transport Instructions for Referring Laboratories
Referring Laboratories:

- If urine total protein and creatinine levels are not provided, LabPlus will perform these tests to aid reporting

- At referring laboratories: on receipt of the specimen, immediately adjust the pH of urine to 7-8 by adding drop-wise 1M NaOH and checking with pH strips (as some of the urine tubular proteins are unstable at acidic pH). Freeze specimen and send frozen to Labplus.

Last updated at 15:26:00 06/01/2025