Lafarge-Frayssinet C, Torres J M, Frain M, Uriel J
Groupe Pluridisciplinaire de Recherches sur le Cancer, Institut de Recherches Scientifiques sur le Cancer, Villejuif, France.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1989 Feb 28;159(1):112-8. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(89)92411-x.
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is mainly synthesized by the fetal liver, the yolk sac and, to a much lower extent, by a few non-hepatic fetal tissues (i.e. kidney, pancreas, lung). This property is considered to be lost in mature quiescent cells of the adult. In the present we have studied the expression of AFP mRNA sequences in phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated normal human T-lymphocytes and in several human lymphoma cell lines. The amount of mRNA transcripts detected in quiescent T-lymphocytes by dot and Northern blot analysis was very low. It increased rapidly after PHA-activation, reached a maximum at 72 hours (six fold the level observed for quiescent T-lymphocytes) and decreased thereafter. The lymphoma cell lines Daudi, Raji, Rh6 et CEM, all expressed elevated levels of AFP mRNA. The transcripts had the size expected for human AFP, suggesting that they were functional and probably translated into protein. The possible role of AFP synthesis in lymphocyte blastogenesis and in lymphoma growth is discussed in relation with the strong binding affinity of this protein for polyunsaturated fatty acids.
甲胎蛋白（AFP）主要由胎儿肝脏、卵黄囊合成，少数非肝脏胎儿组织（即肾脏、胰腺、肺）合成的量则少得多。一般认为，在成人成熟的静止细胞中这种特性会消失。在本研究中，我们研究了甲胎蛋白信使核糖核酸（AFP mRNA）序列在植物血凝素（PHA）刺激的正常人T淋巴细胞及几种人类淋巴瘤细胞系中的表达情况。通过斑点杂交和Northern印迹分析检测到，静止T淋巴细胞中的信使核糖核酸转录本量非常低。PHA激活后，其迅速增加，在72小时达到最大值（是静止T淋巴细胞中观察到水平的6倍），此后下降。淋巴瘤细胞系Daudi、Raji、Rh6和CEM均表达高水平的AFP mRNA。这些转录本的大小符合人AFP的预期，表明它们具有功能，可能会翻译成蛋白质。结合该蛋白对多不饱和脂肪酸的强结合亲和力，讨论了AFP合成在淋巴细胞增殖和淋巴瘤生长中的可能作用。
