Skip to main content
PMC home page
Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1980 Apr;40(1):157–160.

Are pregnancy-associated serum proteins responsible for the inhibition of lymphocyte transformation by pregnancy serum?

W H Stimson
PMCID: PMC1536948  PMID: 7389211

Abstract

Certain pregnancy-associated serum proteins, namely pregnancy-associated alpha 2-glycoprotein, pregnancy-specific beta 1-glycoprotein, alpha-foetoprotein, human placental lactogen and human chroionic gonadotrophin, have been proposed as immunosuppressive factors. A pregnancy serum was constructed from a number of such sera to produce high serum levels of these compounds. Each of the proteins was then removed sequentially from the serum by affinity chromatography and the remaining materials examined for inhibitory activity on lymphocyte transformation. Only the removal of pregnancy-associated alpha 2-glycoprotein decreased suppression by the serum. However, a large proportion of the serum inhibitory activity could not be accounted for, indicating the presence of other suppressor factors.

Full text

PDF
158

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Caldwell J. L., Stites D. P., Fudenberg H. H. Human chorionic gonadotropin: effects of crude and purified preparations on lymphocyte responses to phytohemagglutinin and allogenenic stimulation. J Immunol. 1975 Nov;115(5):1249–1253. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cerni C., Tatra G., Bohn H. Immunosuppression by human placenta lactogen (HPL) and the pregnancy-specific beta 1-glycoprotein (SP-1). Inhibition of mitogen-induced lymphocyte transformation. Arch Gynakol. 1977 Aug 31;223(1):1–7. doi: 10.1007/BF00675078. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Contractor S. F., Davies H. Effect of human chorionic somatomammotrophin and human chorionic gonadotrophin on phytohaemagglutinin-induced lymphocyte transformation. Nat New Biol. 1973 Jun 27;243(130):284–286. doi: 10.1038/newbio243284a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Damber M. G., Von Schoultz B., Stigbrand T., Tärnvik A. Inhibition of the mixed lymphocyte reaction by the pregnancy zone protein. FEBS Lett. 1975 Oct 15;58(1):29–32. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(75)80218-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Johannsen R., Haupt H., Bohn H., Heide K., Seiler F. R., Schwick H. G. Inhibition of the mixed leukocyte culture (MLC) by proteins: mechanism and specificity of the reaction [proceedings]. Z Immunitatsforsch Immunobiol. 1976 Dec;152(4):280–285. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kasakura S. A factor in maternal plasma during pregnancy that suppresses the reactivity of mixed leukocyte cultures. J Immunol. 1971 Nov;107(5):1296–1301. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. MacDonald D. J., Kelly A. M. The rapid quantitation of serum alpha-fetoprotein by two-site micro enzyme immunoassay. Clin Chim Acta. 1978 Aug 1;87(3):367–372. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(78)90180-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Mogensen C. E. The glomerular permeability determined by dextran clearance using Sephadex gel filtration. Scand J Clin Lab Invest. 1968;21(1):77–82. doi: 10.3109/00365516809076979. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Morse J. H., Stearns G., Arden J., Agosto G. M., Canfield R. E. The effects of crude and purified human gonadotropin on in vitro stimulated human lymphocyte cultures. Cell Immunol. 1976 Aug;25(2):178–188. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(76)90108-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Murgita R. A., Andersson L. C., Sherman M. S., Bennich H., Wigzell H. Effects of human alpha-foetoprotein on human B and T lymphocyte proliferation in vitro. Clin Exp Immunol. 1978 Aug;33(2):347–356. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Stimson W. H. Identification of pregnancy-associated alpha-macroglobulin on the surface of peripheral blood leucocyte populations. Clin Exp Immunol. 1977 Jun;28(3):445–452. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Stimson W. H. Protein markers in disease (2). Pregnancy-associated alpha2-glycoprotein and cancer. J R Coll Surg Edinb. 1978 Jul;23(4):253–259. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Stimson W. H., Sinclair J. M. An immunoassay for a pregnancy-associated alpha-macroglobulin using antibody-enzyme conjugates. FEBS Lett. 1974 Oct 1;47(1):190–192. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(74)80456-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Stimson W. H. Studies on the immunosuppressive properties of a pregnancy-associated alpha-macroglobulin. Clin Exp Immunol. 1976 Aug;25(2):199–206. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Yachnin S., Lester E. Inhibition of human lymphocyte transformation by human alpha-foetoprotein (HAFP); comparison of foetal and hepatoma HAFP and kinetic studies in vitro immunosuppression. Clin Exp Immunol. 1976 Dec;26(3):484–490. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Clinical and Experimental Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES