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Foetal origin of transferrin in mouse amniotic fluid

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Abstract

THE measurement of specific foetal products in amniotic fluid collected after amniocentesis offers an obvious approach to the foetus in utero. The proteins in mouse amniotic fluid consist of three transferrins (Trf1, 2 and 3), five α foetoproteins (α FP 1–5) and albumins, the proportions of which change during gestation1,2. The changes in composition directly parallel those observed in foetal serum, except that they occur 24 h later in the amniotic fluid. No comparable alteration is observed in maternal serum patterns. Transferrin 3 constitutes the major transferrin band both in late-stage foetuses and in adults, and so could be derived from either the foetus or the mother. We have investigated the origin of tranferrin 3 in mouse amniotic fluid, using a genetic difference at the transferrin locus3 as a marker.

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Author notes

  1. MARILYN B. RENFREE

    Present address: School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6153

  2. ANNE MCLAREN

    Present address: MRC Mammalian Development Unit, University College London, 4 Stephenson Way, London, NW1 2HE, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Animal Genetics, and ARC Unit of Animal Genetics, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JN, UK

    MARILYN B. RENFREE & ANNE MCLAREN

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  1. MARILYN B. RENFREE
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  2. ANNE MCLAREN
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RENFREE, M., MCLAREN, A. Foetal origin of transferrin in mouse amniotic fluid. Nature 252, 159–161 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/252159a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/252159a0

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