Cells from normal brain and gliomas synthesize pregnancy-specific beta 1-glycoprotein-like material in vitro.

The synthesis of pregnancy-specific beta 1-glycoprotein (SP1) was studied in normal brain-derived and malignant glial-cell cultures. The normal brain-derived and glioma cells were found to contain SP1 when studied by radioimmunoassay and by the triple-bridge immunoperoxidase technique. The active synthesis of SP1 by these brain-derived cells was confirmed by metabolic labelling and subsequent immune precipitation of the culture medium. The SP1-like material produced by the brain-derived cells had the same molecular weight as purified placental SP1.