title: [Molecular heterogeneity of alpha 1-antitrypsin in the urine of the urolithiasis].
abstract: Randall's plaque theory is regarded as the most plausible mechanism of urinary stone formation; however, we speculated that urine proteins are necessarily involved in the process of stone formation. We focused on alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha1-AT), a protein verified to be present in urinary calculi, and which is considered as a protein of inflammation, comparing its presence in healthy subjects and patients with urolithiasis. Quantitative analysis of alpha1-AT was performed with ELISA, whereas qualitative analysis was performed with SDS PAGE, two-dimensional electrophoresis, and western blotting. The results revealed a molecular heterogeneity in alpha1-AT, which can be classified into four patterns, a concentration-independent difference in alpha1-AT molecules found in the urine of patients and healthy subjects. A wider distribution of protein isoelectric points was found in urolithiasis (3.0-8.0) than in healthy subjects (4.0-5.0). We suggest that this new finding with molecular heterogeneity was due to the urolithiasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Bunkyo Gakuin University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0023, Japan. kawakami@bgu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yasuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawakami
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Toyoda
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.forename: Kiyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kanamori
authors.forename: Hiroji
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimomura
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Kiyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shiba
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004586:Electrophoresis / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000652:urine*; D052878:Urolithiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000652:urine*; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin