Heterogeneity of big-big hPRL in hyperprolactinemia.
Sera from a patient with macroprolactinoma (case 1) and from a hyperprolactinemic woman with regular menstruation (case 2) were analyzed for prolactin activity by gel filtration using Sephadex G-100, Sephadex G-200 and TSK G3000SW columns. The chromatographic profile by Sephadex G-100 showed that the percentage of immunoreactive big-big hPRL was 10.7% in case 1 and 64.1% in case 2. On Sephadex G-200 and TSK G3000SW columns, the molecular weight of big-big hPRL was estimated to be more than 500,000 daltons (big-big1 hPRL) in case 1 and approximately 250,000-300,000 daltons (big-big2 hPRL) in case 2. Big-big1 hPRL in case 1 was converted to big and little hPRLs when the serum was treated with 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME), but part of the big-big2 hPRL in case 2 was converted to a larger molecule. Radioactive big-big hPRL generated by mixing labeled hPRL with the serum from case 1 was eluted with the void volume on Sephadex G-100 column and was not converted to the other molecular forms after 2-ME treatment. There were two radioactive big-big hPRL on TSK G3000SW column and these estimated molecular weights were more than 300,000 daltons. The data demonstrated the existence of at least two forms of big-big hPRL in the serum and indicated that radioactive big-big hPRL may be different from these hPRLs in the serum.
Tanaka
T
T
Endocrine Research Laboratory, National Children's Medical Research Center, Tokyo, Japan.
Yano
H
H
Umezawa
S
S
Shishiba
Y
Y
Okada
K
K
Saito
T
T
Hibi
I
I
D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006966:Hyperprolactinemia / Q000097:blood*; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D011388:Prolactin