Immunochemically detected placental proteins and their biological functions.

During the last 20 years a systematic search for proteins occurring in human term placenta (afterbirth) has been performed in our laboratory. As a result more than 30 soluble placental proteins and at least 20 different solubilized antigens apparently derived from the placental membranes have been identified by immunochemical methods in extracts from human term placentas. Most of these proteins have already been isolated to purity and characterized by their physicochemical parameters. Specific antisera to these proteins were obtained by immunizing animals with the corresponding purified proteins. They were used detect and localize these antigens by immunochemical methods in the placenta and in other human tissues. Sensitive immunochemical assays have been developed to exactly quantitate the new proteins in body fluids and to find out the diagnostic significance of measurement of these proteins in pregnant women and in patients with tumors and other diseases. Another aim was to elucidate the biological functions of our immunochemically detected proteins. The results obtained thus far are reported.