title: Identification of pregnancy-associated glycoproteins and alpha-fetoprotein in fallow deer (Dama dama) placenta.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This paper describes the isolation and characterization of pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAG) from fetal cotyledonary tissue (FCT) and maternal caruncular tissue (MCT) collected from fallow deer (Dama dama) pregnant females. Proteins issued from FCT and MCT were submitted to affinity chromatographies by using Vicia villosa agarose (VVA) or anti-bovine PAG-2 (R#438) coupled to Sepharose 4B gel. Finally, they were characterized by SDS-PAGE and N-terminal microsequencing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four distinct fallow deer PAG (fdPAG) sequences were identified and submitted to Swiss-Prot database. Comparison of fdPAG with PAG sequences identified in other ruminant species exhibited 64 to 83% identity. Additionally, alpha-fetoprotein was identified in fetal and maternal tissues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results demonstrate the efficacy of VVA and bovine PAG-2 affinity chromatographies for the isolation of PAG molecules expressed in deer placenta. This is the first report giving four specific amino acid sequences of PAG isolated from feto-maternal junction (FCT and MCT) in the Cervidae family.
authors.forename: Mathilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bériot
authors.forename: Aline Flora
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Tchimbou
authors.forename: Olimpia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Barbato
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Endocrinology and Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, B-4000 Liege, Belgium. jfbeckers@ulg.ac.be.
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Beckers
authors.forename: Noelita M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: de Sousa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity / Q000379:methods* / Q000662:veterinary; D003670:Deer / Q000502:physiology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007558:Italy; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010920:Placenta / Q000737:chemistry*; D037121:Plant Lectins / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D020539:Sequence Analysis, Protein / Q000662:veterinary; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; D037121:Plant Lectins; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; C042242:Vicia lectins; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins