Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Characterization of new members of the pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein family

  • Published:
Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Three cDNAs encoding members of the pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein (PSG) family were isolated from human term placental cDNA library. All three cDNAs encode proteins with similar domain structure. There is a leader sequence of 34 amino acids followed by an N-domain of 109 amino acids. Immediately after the N-domain are one or two copies of a repeating A-domain of 93 amino acids, a B-domain of 85 amino acids and a C-domain of variable size. The proteins are highly hydrophilic. However, one of them has an 81-amino acid C-domain which is very hydrophobic and could potentially serve as a membrane attachment site. The putative cell-cell recognition tripeptide, Arg-Gly-Asp, is present in the N-domain of two of the proteins. Partial sequence of one of the cDNAs has been found in HeLa cells while cDNAs highly homologous to two of the cDNAs have been found in the fetal liver. Functional roles of the PSG proteins basing on their structure are proposed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

PSG:

Pregnancy-Specific β1-Glycoprotein, according to nomenclature recommended at the ISOBM XVII Meeting, 1989 [31]

CEA:

Carcinoembryonic Antigen

bp:

base-pair

kb:

kilo-base-pair

nt:

nucleotide

aa:

amino acid

UTR:

Untranslated Region

RGD:

Arg-Gly-Asp

References

  1. Grudzinskas JG, Lenton EA, Gordon YB, Kelso IM, Jeffrey D, Sobowale O, Chard T: Circulating levels of pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 84: 742–770,1977

    Google Scholar 

  2. Thompson J, Koumari R, Wagner K, Barnett S, Schleussner C, Schrewe H, Zimmermann W, Muller G, Schempp W, Zaninetta D, Ammaturo D, Hardman N: The human pregnancy-specific glycoprotein genes are tightly linked on the long arm of chromosome 19 and are coordinatedly expressed. Biochem Biophys Res Comm 167: 848–859, 1990

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bohn H, Sedlacek HH: Eine vergleichende Untersuchung von placenta spezifischen Proteinen bei Mensch und subhumanin Primaten. Arch Gynaekol 220: 105–121, 1975

    Google Scholar 

  4. Chan WY, Borjigin J, Zheng QX, Shupert WL: Characterization of cDNA encoding human pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein from placenta and extraplacental tissues and their comparison with carcinoembryonic antigen. DNA 7: 545–555,1988

    Google Scholar 

  5. Chan WY, Sung SSJ: Differential expression of human pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein in erythroid and myeloid cell lines. FASEB J 3: A323, 1989

    Google Scholar 

  6. Niemann SC, Flake A, Bohn H, Bartels I: Pregnancyspecific β1-glycoprotein: cDNA cloning, tissue expression, and species specificity of one member of the PSßG family. Hum Genet 82: 239–243, 1989

    Google Scholar 

  7. Barnett TR, Pickle W II, Rae PMM, Hart J, Kamarck M, Elting J: Human pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein are coded within chromosome 19. Am J Hum Genet 44: 890–893,1989

    Google Scholar 

  8. Oikawa S, Inuzuka C, Kuroki M, Matsuoka Y, Kosaki G, Nakazato H: A pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein, a CEA family member, expressed in a human promyelocytic leukemia cell line, HL-60: structures of protein, mRNA and gene. Biochem Biophys Res Comm 163: 1021–1031, 1989

    Google Scholar 

  9. Borjigin J, Tease LA, Barnes W, Chan WY: Expression of the pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein genes in human testis. Biochem Biophys Res Comm 166: 622–629, 1990

    Google Scholar 

  10. Chan WY, Tease LA, Bates JM Jr, Borjigin J, Shupert WL: Pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein in rat: Tissue distribution of the mRNA and identification of testicular cDNA clones. Human Reprod 3: 687–692, 1988

    Google Scholar 

  11. Zimmermann W, Weiss M, Thompson JA: cDNA cloning demonstrates the expression of pregnancy-specific glycoprotein genes, a subgroup of the carcinoembryonic antigen gene family, in fetal liver. Biochem Biophys Res Comm 163:1197–1209,1989

    Google Scholar 

  12. Khan WN, Osterman A, Hammarstrom S: Molecular cloning and expression of cDNA for a carcinoembryonic antigen-related fetal liver glycoprotein. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 86: 3332–3336, 1989

    Google Scholar 

  13. Khan WN, Hammarstrom S: Carcinoembryonic antigen gene family: molecular cloning of cDNA for a PSßG/FLNCA glycoprotein with a novel domain arrangement. Biochem Biophys Res Com 161: 525–535, 1989

    Google Scholar 

  14. Khan WN, Hammarstrom S: Identification of a new carcino-embryonic antigen (CEA) family member in human fetal liver — Cloning and sequence determination of pregnancy-specific glycoprotein 7. Biochem Biophys Res Comm 168: 214–225, 1990

    Google Scholar 

  15. Zoubir F, Khan WN, Hammarstrom S: Carcinoembryonic antigen gene family members in submandibular salivary gland: Demonstration of pregnancy-specific glycoproteins by cDNA cloning. Biochem Biophys Res Comm 169: 203–216,1990

    Google Scholar 

  16. Zheng QX, Tease LA, Shupert WL, Chan WY: Characterization of cDNAs of the human pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein family, a new subfamily of the immunoglobulin gene superfamily. Biochemistry 29: 2845–2852, 1990

    Google Scholar 

  17. Watanabe S, Chou JY: Isolation and characterization of complementary DNAs encoding human pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein. J Biol Chem 263: 2049–2054, 1988

    Google Scholar 

  18. Streydio C, Lacka K, Swillens S, Vassart G: The human pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein (PSßG) and the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-related proteins are members of the same multigene family. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 154: 130–137, 1988

    Google Scholar 

  19. Rooney BC, Horne CHW, Hardman N: Molecular cloning of a cDNA for human pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein: Homology with human carcinoembryonic antigen and related proteins. Gene 71: 439–449, 1988

    Google Scholar 

  20. Streydio C, Swillens S, Georges M, Szpirer C, Vassart G: Structure, evoluation and chromosomal localization of the human pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein gene family. Genomics 6: 579–592, 1990

    Google Scholar 

  21. Chan WY: The pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein family. Adv Contra Del Sys 7: 21–52 1991 (In Press)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Williams AF, Barclay AN: The immunoglobulin superfamily-domains for cell surface recognition. Ann Rev Immunol 6: 381–405, 1988

    Google Scholar 

  23. Heikinheimo M, Gahmberg CG, Bohn H, Andersson LC: Oncoplacental protein SP1 — A constitutive and inducible late differentiation marker of the human myelomonocytic lineage. Blood 70: 1279–1283, 1987

    Google Scholar 

  24. Chan WY, Tease LA, Borjigin J, Chan PK, Rennert OM, Srinivasan B, Shupert WL, Cook RG: Pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein mRNA in present in placental as well as non-placental tissues. Human Reprod 3: 677–685, 1988

    Google Scholar 

  25. Rixon MW, Chan WY, Davie EW, Chung DW: Characterization of a cDNA coding for α-chain of human fibrinogen. Biochemistry 22: 3250–3256, 1983

    Google Scholar 

  26. Chung DW, Chan WY, Davie EW: Characterization of a cDNA coding for the gamma-chain of human fibrinogen. Biochemistry 22: 3250–3256, 1983

    Google Scholar 

  27. Stratagene: pBluescript 11 Exo/Mung DNA sequencing system. Stratagene, La Jolla, CA, 1988

    Google Scholar 

  28. Devereux H, Haeberli P, Marquess P: A comprehensive set of sequence analysis programs for the VAX. Nucleic Acids Res 12: 387–395, 1984

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Ruoslahti E, Pierschbacher MD: Arg-Gly-Asp: A versatile cell recognition signal. Cell 44: 517–518, 1986

    Google Scholar 

  30. Oikawa S, Inuzuka C, Kosaki G, Nakazato H: Exon-intron organization of a gene for pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein, a subfamily member of CEA-family: implications for its characteristic repetitive domains and N-terminal sequences. Biochem Biophys Res Comm 156: 68–77, 1988

    Google Scholar 

  31. Barnett T, Zimmermann W: Workshop report: proposed nomenclature for the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) gene family. Tumor Biol 11: 59–63, 1990

    Google Scholar 

  32. Mount SM: A catalogue of splice junction sequences. Nucleic Acid Res 10: 459–472, 1982

    Google Scholar 

  33. Braun RE, Peschon JJ, Behringes RR, Brinster RL, Palmiter RD: Protamine 3′-untranslated sequences regulate temporal translational control and subcellular localization of growth hormone in spermatids of transgenic mice. Genes Develop 3: 793–802, 1989

    Google Scholar 

  34. Benchimol S, Fuks A, Jothy S, Beauchemin N, Shirota K, Stanners C: Carcinoembryonic antigen, a human tumor marker, functions as an intercellular adhesion molecule. Cell 57: 327–334, 1989

    Google Scholar 

  35. Oikawa S, Inuzuka C, Kuroki M, Matsuoka Y, Kosaki G, Nakazato H: Cell adhesion activity of non-specific crossreacting antigne (NCA) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) expressed on CHO cell surface: homophilic and heterophilic adhesion. Biochem Biophys Res Comm 164: 39–45,1989

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Pediatrics, Georgetown University Medical Center, 3800 Reservoir Road, 20007, Washington, DC, NW, USA

    Wai-Yee Chan, Qiao-Xi Zheng, Julie McMahon & Le Ann Teasel

  2. Departments of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, and Anatomy & Cell Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center, 3800 Reservoir Road, 20007, Washington, DC, NW, USA

    Wai-Yee Chan

Authors
  1. Wai-Yee Chan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Qiao-Xi Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Julie McMahon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Le Ann Teasel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

The nucleotide sequence of two of the cDNAs presented in this article have been submitted to GenBank under the accession numbers M37102 (hPS91) and M37103 (hPS133). The nucleotide sequence of hPS176 has also been submitted. No accession number is available yet.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chan, WY., Zheng, QX., McMahon, J. et al. Characterization of new members of the pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein family. Mol Cell Biochem 106, 161–170 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00230182

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00230182

Key words

Search

Navigation