Partial purification of mare early pregnancy factor.
OBJECTIVE
Early pregnancy factor (EPF) is an immunosuppressive protein detected in the serum in early pregnancy. We have already reported the development of the rosette inhibition test for mare EPF and have detected EPF in thoroughbreds and ponies. Here, we attempted to purify equine EPF from pregnant mare serum.


METHODS
Mare EPF was purified by ultrafiltration and ion-exchange chromatography. Purified EPF was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), immunoblotting and a neutralization test. EPF activity was estimated as the rosette inhibition titer (RIT) by the rosette inhibition test.


RESULTS
Purified EPF bound to carboxymethyl (CM) sepharose and did not adsorb to diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) sepharose. SDS-PAGE revealed that in the final purified fraction there were many proteins. In the immunoblotting analysis, a protein band of 25.8 kDa was detected as the pregnancy-specific band. Further, antibody gained from the 20 to 30 kDa protein band of the final purified fraction neutralized the RIT activity of pregnant mare serum.


CONCLUSIONS
Mare EPF was detected in the final purified fraction and had a molecular weight of 25.8 kDa. EPF in the mare is similar to that obtained from the serum of pregnant cows.
Ohnuma
Katsuhiko
K
Department of Bioscience and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Ueda, Morioka-shi, Iwate, Japan. ohnuma@nias.affrc.go.jp
Ito
Kazuei
K
Takahashi
Jutaro
J
Nambo
Yasuo
Y
Miyake
Yoh-Ichi
Y
D000818:Animals; D018835:Chaperonin 10; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011258:Pregnancy Tests; D011817:Rabbits; D012397:Rosette Formation; D013491:Suppressor Factors, Immunologic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D018835:Chaperonin 10; D010455:Peptides; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D013491:Suppressor Factors, Immunologic; C025124:early pregnancy factor