title: Urocortin in human placenta and maternal plasma.
abstract: Plasma immunoreactive (IR-) urocortin (Ucn) and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) levels in pregnant women were measured by their specific radioimmunoassays after extraction. Although plasma IR-CRF levels were increased in pregnant women as compared to men and non-pregnant women, there was no difference of plasma IR-Ucn levels among groups. Ucn mRNA was detected in cytotrophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblasts by in situ hybridization. A reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed the major peak of IR-Ucn in placenta and plasma that had similar chromatographic mobility to synthetic Ucn1-40. These data suggest that Ucn is produced and processed into the same form of synthetic Ucn in placenta, but not secreted into maternal blood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Oki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ozawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masuzawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwabuchi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshimi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishiguchi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iino
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D010920:Placenta / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D054832:Urocortins
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D054832:Urocortins; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone