Disease relevance of AMBP

• Western blot analysis revealed the presence of bikunin in uterine flushings of gilts collected during the luteal phase of the estrous cycle and early pregnancy (Days 12-18) [1].

High impact information on AMBP

• Bikunin gene expression decreased on Day 18 of the estrous cycle, whereas endometrial bikunin gene expression continued to increase in pregnant gilts [1].
• Presence of the acute phase protein, bikunin, in the endometrium of gilts during estrous cycle and early pregnancy [1].
• In addition to its role as a protease inhibitor, bikunin functions in stabilization of the extracellular matrix, which suggests that bikunin could be involved with facilitating placental attachment to the uterine epithelial surface in the pig [1].
• However, bikunin unbound to the inter-alpha-trypsin heavy chains was detected only in endometrial explant culture medium obtained from estrus and pregnant (Days 12, 15, and 18) gilts [1].
• Sequence of a cDNA clone encoding the Atlantic salmon alpha 1-microglobulin/bikunin protein [2].

Biological context of AMBP

• Complementary DNA and deduced amino acid sequences of procine alpha 1-microglobulin and bikunin [3].
• Assignment of the alpha-1-microglobulin bikunin precursor (AMBP) gene to porcine chromosome 1 via a new PCR-based polymorphism [4].
• Bikunin mRNA was localized to the uterine glands between Days 15 and 18 of the estrous cycle and pregnancy [1].
• I alpha IH4 is unique compared with the three other inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chains as it does not contain a binding site for bikunin that has serine protease inhibitory activity and is sensitive to cleavage by kallikrein [5].

Anatomical context of AMBP

• By RT-PCR and nested PCR, AMBP mRNA was detected not only in liver tissue, previously known to be a site of its synthesis, but also in pancreas, stomach, small intestine, colon, lung, spleen, kidney, testis, skeletal muscle, and leukocytes, but not in brain or heart [6].

Associations of AMBP with chemical compounds

• The objective of the present study was to determine if the light-chain serine protease inhibitor of the inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor family, bikunin, is produced by the porcine endometrium during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy [1].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of AMBP

• Due to lack of polymorphism, linkage mapping was possible only for AMBP [7].
• We examined the AMBP mRNA levels in guinea pig liver by RT-PCR, comparing normal levels and those in a state of inflammation [6].
• Bovine plasma proteins from healthy and parasitized calves with an infection-related stunting syndrome were separated electrophoretically, transferred to nitrocellulose and probed with 125I-AM; phosphoimage densitometry analysis revealed a 67% decrease in AMBP band intensity in the 120 and 140 kD proteins from infected calves [8].

References