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Foetoneonatal oestradiol-binding protein in mouse brain cytosol is α foetoprotein

Abstract

BRAIN cytosol from foetal and neonatal rodents contains high concentrations of an oestradiol-binding protein (foetoneonatal oestradiol-binding protein or FEBP) with properties distinctly different from those of adult oestrogen receptors with respect to sedimentation rate, binding specificity and affinity for oestradiol1–3; FEBP declines to undetectable levels by about 22 d in rat brain cytosol1,2. Sexual differentiation of the rodent brain, which normally occurs under the influence of testicular secretions between birth and about 10 d, can also be brought about by injection of oestradiol benzoate into neonatal female or castrated male rodents4. This observation has led to the idea that FEBP protects the developing brain against the effects of maternal oestrogens5. It has been suggested that FEBP in rats is α foetoprotein (AFP)6, a circulating foetal protein known to bind oestradiol7–9. Here we present evidence which points strongly to the identity of mouse FEBP and AFP. This includes a comparison of the binding properties of FEBP with those of purified mouse AFP, correlation of the postnatal disappearance of FEBP with measurements of AFP in brain cytosol and removal of oestradiol-binding activity from brain cytosol using anti-mouse AFP antibodies.

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ATTARDI, B., RUOSLAHTI, E. Foetoneonatal oestradiol-binding protein in mouse brain cytosol is α foetoprotein. Nature 263, 685–687 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/263685a0

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