Studies on the isolation, structural analysis and tissue localization of fetal antigen 1 and its relation to a human adrenal-specific cDNA, pG2

Charlotte Harken Jensen, Børge Teisner, Peter Højrup, H B Rasmussen, O D Madsen, B Nielsen, Karsten Skjødt

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Fetal antigen 1 was purified from second trimester human amniotic fluid by immunospecific affinity chromatography followed by reversed-phase chromatography. Fetal antigen 1 is a single chain glycoprotein with a M(r) of 32-38 kDa. The amino acid composition revealed a high content of cysteines, prolines and amino acids (aa) with acidic side-chains indicating that fetal antigen 1 is a compactly folded, strongly hydrophilic molecule. The N-terminal amino acid sequence (37 aa) revealed no homology to other known protein sequences, implying that fetal antigen 1 is a 'novel' human protein. When the aa sequence was back-translated into the appropriate degenerate sequence of nucleic acids, fetal antigen 1 could be partially aligned to a 'human adrenal-specific mRNA, pG2'. The indirect immunoperoxidase technique demonstrated fetal antigen 1 in fetal hepatocytes, glandular cells of fetal pancreas and in fetal adrenal cortex, whereas fetal medullary cells were fetal antigen 1 negative. In adult specimens fetal antigen 1 was exclusively found within the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans and in the adrenals with pronounced staining in the cortex. Our observations suggest that fetal antigen 1 is encoded by the mRNA defined by the cDNA clone pG2, but definitive sequencing and expression studies of this mRNA have not been achieved.
Udgivelsesdato: 1993-Apr
Original languageEnglish
JournalHuman Reproduction
Volume8
Issue number4
Pages (from-to)635-41
ISSN1460-2350
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1. Apr 1993

Keywords

  • Adrenal Glands
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Amino Acids
  • Amniotic Fluid
  • Antigens
  • Chromatography, Gel
  • DNA
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Molecular Weight
  • Organ Specificity
  • Pregnancy

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