Disease relevance of AFP

• Patients not previously treated and without metastasis who were alpha fetoprotein positive (AFP+) had a 5-month median survival compared with AFP- median survival of 10 1/2 months [1].
• Unilateral ovariectomy-hysterectomy was performed before mating to study effects of uterine crowding on the relationship of fetal weight to AFP and albumin [2].
• The intracellular uptake of alphafetoprotein (AFP) and its fluorescein conjugates, by cultures of the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line, has been demonstrated using an indirect immuno-peroxidase technique or by direct visualization under fluorescent lighting [3].

High impact information on AFP

• A subsequent examination of the Mr 55,000 cytokeratin-containing diploid epithelial cells in Fraction IV using double immunofluorescence microscopy resolved three cell populations with respect to Mr 52,000 cytokeratin and AFP expression, namely, two cell populations expressing either protein marker and a third one containing both markers [4].
• Most of the TF and AFP (100 and 85-90%, respectively) reacted with Con A during the entire developmental period [5].
• In this study, we investigated the effects of AFP on growth factor-stimulated estradiol (E2) production by pGC [6].
• Since AFP is known to increase TGF alpha+IGF-I mediated cell growth, these data suggest that AFP may be inhibiting the differentiated function (steroidogenesis) of pGC while enhancing the proliferation of these cells [6].
• AFP did not interfere with the E2 RIA, affect the uptake of or display specific in vitro binding of the androgen substrate [6].

Biological context of AFP

• Mapping of the porcine alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene to swine chromosome 8 [7].
• The allantois appears to be a significant distribution space for AFP in early gestation [8].
• AFP purified from either term cord blood or midtrimester amniotic fluid dose-dependently inhibited estradiol production stimulated by the combination of FSH and insulin-like growth factor-I [9].
• These results demonstrate that fetal serum albumin concentrations are related to fetal weight when analyzed on a within-litter basis and that unilateral ovariectomy-hysterectomy may affect serum concentrations of both AFP and albumin early in fetal development [2].
• There was no significant relationship between AFP levels and fetal weight at any gestational age [2].

Anatomical context of AFP

• These data indicate that physiological concentrations of purified AFP significantly and dose-dependently inhibit FSH-stimulated estradiol production by porcine granulosa cells in culture [9].
• Ultrastructural autoradiographs of MCF-7 cells incubated with human 3H-AFP showed protein accumulation in several cytoplasmic organelles, particularly in lipid droplets [3].
• However, AFP levels in fetuses from crowded litters were lower than in control fetuses at d 40 (4.5 +/- .1 vs 6.7 +/- .5 mg/ml) [2].
• The secondary hepatocyte cultures expressed alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), albumin, and beta-fibrinogen mRNA, and conditioned medium from the cells contained elevated levels of transferrin and albumin [10].
• In 7-day-old chick embryo, AFP carries 16% and fSA 6% free FAs, the rest being carried as phospholipids, which differs from rat and pig AFP, where all fatty acids are carried like free fatty acids [11].

Associations of AFP with chemical compounds

• In contrast, extracellular accumulation of cAMP and progesterone production was not inhibited by AFP [9].
• During liver carcinogenesis induced by diethylnitrosamine, serum AFP levels increase, moderately, when tumors develop [12].
• The administration of dexamethasone suppresses serum AFP levels [12].
• The molecular weight of the AFP was 80,000 when determined by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 and 75,000 when determined by sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis [13].

Other interactions of AFP

• Transferrin and fetuin were the major proteins in amniotic fluid during the second trimester of gestation and together with AFP and albumin accounted for the majority of the total protein in amniotic, but not allantoic fluid [14].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of AFP

• Similarly, only one band has been stained in SDS electrophoretograms prepared from such extracts and stained by the immunoblotting technique; its molecular weight corresponded to the pig AFP [15].
• Immunocytochemistry showed that the cell and tissue localization of AFP changes with age of the embryos, and/or maturation of the brain [15].
• A double-antibody radioimmunoassay was developed which can detect 0.1 ng of AFP [12].
• Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) has been screened in the brain of pig embryos by immunocytofluorescence, crossed immunoelectrophoresis and the immunoblotting technique [15].

References