A new pituitary protein 7B2 is increased in patients with high alpha- or beta-hCG.
The presence of 7B2 (a 180 amino acid peptide first extracted from the porcine pituitary) was investigated by a specific radioimmunoassay and gel filtration chromatography in the plasma of three groups of patients known to have increased levels of alpha- and beta-hCG subunits. Plasma 7B2 immunoreactive equivalents (7B2-IE) were increased in postmenopausal women (range 67-143 pmol/l, median: 94 pmol/l, N = 20, P less than 0.05), in patients with Klinefelter's syndrome (range 195-230 pmol/l), median 213 pmol/l, N = 4, P less than 0.01) and in 17 patients with malignant endocrine gastrointestinal tumours (range 66-20,000 pmol/l, N = 32) compared with healthy controls (range 23.6-98.2 pmol/l, median 41.5 pmol/l, N = 40). Tumour tissue from 4 patients with endocrine pancreatic tumours had significantly higher 7B2-IE concentrations than normal pancreatic tissue, with the highest concentration in an insulinoma (449 pmol/g, normal: 28 pmol/g). During therapy almost parallel changes in plasma 7B2 and other hormones were noted and 7B2-IE therefore might be an additional marker for cancers of the APUD system.
Leonhardt
U
U
Department of Medicine, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK.
Eriksson
B
B
Oberg
K
K
Wide
L
L
Ghatei
M A
MA
Bloom
S R
SR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002276:Carcinoid Tumor / Q000097:blood; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood*; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D005260:Female; D015408:Gastrinoma / Q000097:blood; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007340:Insulinoma / Q000097:blood; D007713:Klinefelter Syndrome / Q000097:blood; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008593:Menopause / Q000097:blood; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D051859:Neuroendocrine Secretory Protein 7B2; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood; D010907:Pituitary Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D003969:Vipoma / Q000097:blood
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D051859:Neuroendocrine Secretory Protein 7B2; D010907:Pituitary Hormones; C497678:SCG5 protein, human; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone