Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
1992-9-28
pubmed:abstractText
The glycoprotein hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is synthesized in large quantities by the developing placenta, reaching peak concentrations in maternal blood during the late first trimester and early midtrimester of pregnancy. In general it is believed that the alpha-subunit of this dimeric hormone is expressed in pituitary gonadotropes, thyrotropes, and trophoblasts, while the beta-subunit is expressed exclusively by trophoblasts. Studies from our laboratory and other laboratories have shown that some midtrimester human fetal tissues, in addition to the placenta, can synthesize proteins that appear to be very similar to the beta-subunit of hCG. To define precisely the nature of this putative hCG-beta-subunit in extraplacental fetal tissues, we have examined the mRNA from a variety of human fetal and adult tissues using nucleic acid hybridization and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. Our results demonstrate that midtrimester fetal kidney and adrenal tissues contain hCG-beta mRNA transcripts at concentrations comparable to that of placenta, while fetal lung, brain, muscle, and adult adrenal contain only trace to undetectable levels of hCG-beta mRNA. By restriction endonuclease mapping of PCR fragments from fetal tissue cDNAs, we show that the hCG-beta transcript expressed in midtrimester human fetal organs is a bone fide copy of hCG-beta gene No. 5 of the beta-subunit gene family located on chromosome 19.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Sep
pubmed:issn
1040-452X
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
33
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
1-6
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1992
pubmed:articleTitle
Extraplacental human fetal tissues express mRNA transcripts encoding the human chorionic gonadotropin-beta subunit protein.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0132.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't