Pregnancy-associated glycoprotein (PAG) family: transcripts and gene amplicons in camelids.

In this study, the placental localization of PAG-like transcripts and genomic existence of PAG-like amplicons in new-world (Lp, Lama pacos, alpaca) and old-world camelids (Cb, Camelus bactrianus, bactrian; Cd, Camelus dromedarius; dromedary) are reported for the first time. Sections of Lp (150-347 days post coitum), Cd (43-90 cm crown-rump length) and Cb (term) placentas were used for heterologous (ht; cross-species) autoradiographic in situ hybridization (aISH) with single-stranded diagnostic (antisense) or control (sense) [alpha-(35)S]dATP-labeled 323 nt porcine PAG8 (pPAG8) cDNA probes produced by asymmetric PCRs. The aISH with antisense (35)S-pPAG8 probe identified camelid PAG-like (LpPAG, CbPAG and CdPAG) mRNA expression restricted to chorionic epithelium cells within placentas of camelids. In addition, genomic DNA (gDNA), isolated from placental sections were used as templates for camelid PAG-like gene amplicon production by PCR. Specificity of the obtained multiple camelid gDNA PAG-like amplicons was confirmed by double ht-Southern hybridizations with [alpha-(32)P]dATP-labeled 611 bp pPAG5 and pPAG10 double-stranded cDNA probes. The double ht-Southern hybridizations of camelid gDNA amplicons (with pPAG5 and -10 probes) allowed the identification of length-polymorphism of LpPAG, CbPAG and CdPAG genes, coding catalytically active and potentially inactive forms. Such an application of porcine PAG probes may be advantageous for future identification of still undiscovered PAG-like families in other eutherian species.