title: The acute phase response of plasma proteins in the polyprotodont marsupial Monodelphis domestica.
abstract: In eutherians, patterns of plasma protein levels in blood change during the acute phase response to trauma and inflammation. Until now, such an acute phase response has not been characterised in a noneutherian species. Here we describe the acute phase response in a marsupial species, the South American polyprotodont marsupial Monodelphis domestica, after brain surgery or injection of lipopolysaccharide. Several days after brain surgery, transthyretin was not detected in plasma. For 48 hr following injection of lipopolysaccharide, the concentration of haptoglobin in plasma increased, that of transthyretin decreased, and the concentration of albumin in plasma did not change significantly. The American polyprotodont marsupials are probably more closely related to the common ancestor marsupial than the Australian marsupials are. It is most likely that the transthyretin gene was not expressed in the liver of this common ancestor. As the transthyretin gene is expressed in the liver of M. domestica, it seems that as soon as transthyretin is synthesised by the liver, it is under negative acute phase control.
authors.affiliation: Russell Grimwade School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. s.richardson@biochemistry.unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Dziegielewska
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frost
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schreiber
mesh_terms: D000210:Acute-Phase Reaction / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000601:surgery; D006242:Haptoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000633:toxicity; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D009893:Opossums / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D011228:Prealbumin / Q000378:metabolism; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D006242:Haptoglobins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D011228:Prealbumin; D012709:Serum Albumin