Distribution and characterization of alpha hCG in the serum and tumor cytosol of patients with breast cancer

Serum and tumor tissue from breast cancer patients were evaluated for the presence of alpha subunit of hCG, by means of the specific radioimmunoassay. Elevated serum levels occurred in 0/50 (0%) of normal female controls, 1/17 (6%) of patients with benign breast disease, 3/53 (6%) of patients with primary breast cancer, and 12/84 (14%) of patients with metastatic breast cancer. Cytosols from 10/56 (18%) primary tumors and 10/37 (28%) metastatic tumors were found to contain the alpha subunit. Comparison of serum and tumor cytosol levels in nine patients with metastatic disease showed a correspondence between elevated cytosol levels and elevated serum levels. No similar correspondence in 25 patients with primary disease was observed. Alpha subunit was isolated from one tumor cytosol and was characterized with respect to its immunochemical cross‐reactivity and molecular weight as compared with native alpha subunit from hCG. For both parameters, the native and ectopic alpha subunit were found to be identical.

[1]  A. Howell,et al.  The synthesis of the glycoprotein hormone α subunit by human breast carcinomas , 1979 .

[2]  E. Rutanen.  The circulating alpha subunit of human chorionic gonadotrophin in gynacologic tumours , 1978, International journal of cancer.

[3]  A. Borkowski,et al.  Prospective study of the α and β subunits of human chorionic gonadotrophin in the blood of patients with various benign and malignant conditions , 1978 .

[4]  R. Walker.  Significance of alpha-subunit HCG demonstrated in breast carcinomas by the immunoperoxidase technique. , 1978, Journal of clinical pathology.

[5]  P. Franchimont,et al.  Ectopic Production of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin and Its α- and β-Subunits , 1978 .

[6]  S W Kessler,et al.  Rapid isolation of antigens from cells with a staphylococcal protein A-antibody adsorbent: parameters of the interaction of antibody-antigen complexes with protein A. , 1975, Journal of immunology.

[7]  B. Weintraub,et al.  Pituitary secretion of free alpha and beta subunit of human thyrotropin in patients with thyroid disorders. , 1975, The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism.

[8]  S. Nussey,et al.  A radio-ligand receptor assay for the long-acting thyroid stimulator. Inhibition by the long-acting thyroid stimulator of the binding of radioiodinated thyroid-stimulating hormone to human thyroid membranes. , 1975, The Biochemical journal.

[9]  U. K. Laemmli,et al.  Cleavage of Structural Proteins during the Assembly of the Head of Bacteriophage T4 , 1970, Nature.

[10]  O. P. Bahl,et al.  Dissociation and recombination of the subunits of human chorionic gonadotropin. , 1970, Biochemical and biophysical research communications.

[11]  O. P. Bahl.  Human chorionic gonadotropin. I. Purification and physicochemical properties. , 1969, The Journal of biological chemistry.

[12]  O. H. Lowry,et al.  Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. , 1951, The Journal of biological chemistry.