Abstract
α-FOETOPROTEIN (AFP) is a serum protein present in large amounts during embryonic life and preserved in only nanogram quantities in adult mammals1. Increased levels of AFP are seen in adults in association with two forms of tumours—teratocarcinomas and hepatocarcinomas—and also during liver regeneration2. In early development AFP is synthesised in the yolk sac and in the liver2,3 where it has been demonstrated by immunofluorescence in the majority of the hepatocytes4. Detailed aspects of AFP synthesis by hepatocytes, however, remain to be established. It has been suggested that it is synthesised by a definite population of hepatocytes5, by one of the stages in their differentiation6,7, or by liver cell precursors8. Sufficient data to decide between these alternatives are not presently available. We describe here the immunohistochemical localisation of AFP in regenerating mouse livers, in which DNA-synthesising cells have been identified by thymidine incorporation. AFP was found in a minority of adult differentiated hepatocytes, many of which had not progressed through S phase. Thus DNA synthesis is not a prerequisite for the induction of AFP synthesis in the adult liver.
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ENGELHARDT, N., LAZAREVA, M., ABELEV, G. et al. Detection of α-foetoprotein in mouse liver differentiated hepatocytes before their progression through S phase. Nature 263, 146–148 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/263146a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/263146a0
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