title: Neurotrophin-3 and FLT3 tyrosine kinase receptor in perinatal life.
abstract: Our aim is to determine--in 30 healthy full-term infants and their mothers--circulating levels of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) (important for antenatal and postnatal brain development and implicated in the immune response) and FLT3 tyrosine kinase receptor (FLT3) (controlling hematopoiesis and found in the nervous tissue), in the fetal and neonatal life. NT-3 levels, in contrast to FLT3 ones, increased significantly on the fourth postnatal day in relation to the low levels found in the mother, fetus, and day 1 neonate (P = .03, respectively). Maternal and umbilical NT3 levels positively correlated with respective FLT3 levels (P = .003 and P = .03). Circulating NT-3 levels increased in early neonatal life, possibly due to exposure to various stimuli soon after birth. FLT3 levels do not seem to behave accordingly, although these two substances probably synergize.
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Division and Hormonal laboratory, Second department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, university of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Ariadne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malamitsi-Puchner
authors.forename: Emmanouel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Economou
authors.forename: Theodora
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Boutsikou
authors.forename: Konstantinos E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Nikolaou
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vrachnis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000378:metabolism; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D020933:Neurotrophin 3 / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000097:blood*; D012737:Sex Factors; D051941:fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3
chemical_list: D020933:Neurotrophin 3; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; C497970:FLT3 protein, human; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D051941:fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3