Urocortin in human placenta and maternal plasma.
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.
Watanabe
F
F
Department of Medicine, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Japan.
Oki
Y
Y
Ozawa
M
M
Masuzawa
M
M
Iwabuchi
M
M
Yoshimi
T
T
Nishiguchi
T
T
Iino
K
K
Sasano
H
H
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
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D054832:Urocortins; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone