Alpha-fetoprotein can affect the development of rat colons?
Mammalian alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a single-chain glycoprotein and altered serum AFP levels have been observed concurrent with aberrant growth manifestations in some congenital defects and cancer. The gut development during late gestation and early neonatal period is accompanied by changes in the synthesis of AFP, and abundance declines significantly during gut development. In this case, AFP is considered as an important growth factor with a specific function in gastrointestinal development. The ontogeny of AFP gene expression has been examined in the fetal and adult mouse gastrointestinal tract to understand the basis of the ontogeny of AFP transcription in the gut and its regulatory elements. However, little is known about the expression pattern of AFP genes or its involvement during rat colon development.
Read the whole article on Physorg
More from Physorg
Related
- Alpha-fetoprotein can affect the development of rat colons?Fri, 17 Apr 2009, 12:13:45 EDT
- How slow growth as a fetus can cause diabetes as an adultSat, 10 May 2008, 18:28:38 EDT
- Effects of maternal exercise on fetal breathing movementsFri, 17 Apr 2009, 8:49:56 EDT
- Frogs reveal clues about the effects of alcohol during developmentMon, 6 Apr 2009, 3:43:55 EDT
- Glypican-3 gene function in regulating body size helps inform novel cancer treatmentsMon, 12 May 2008, 16:35:32 EDT