Hamster hepatic amyloid A (AA) protein is derived from a novel member of the SAA gene family.

The nearly complete amino acid sequence of casein-induced hepatic hamster AA is described. Hamster AA appeared to be C-terminally ragged as found in other species. Furthermore, the N-terminus was (partially) truncated. Hamster hepatic AA sequence showed high homology with, but was not identical to hamster SAA-isotype sequences deduced earlier from mRNA in hepatic and extra-hepatic tissue. Therefore, hamster hepatic AA is derived from a novel member of the SAA gene family. However, the origin of hepatic AA-amyloid remains unclear.