Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Díaz-Ruiz, Carmen
• Asbert, Mónica
• Pérez-Tomás, Ricardo

Titel

Immunochemical study of a transforming growth factor-α-related protein in the chicken kidney

Ist Teil von

• Kidney international, 1996-04, Vol.49 (4), p.1053-1063

Ort / Verlag

New York, NY: Elsevier Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

1996

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Immunochemical study of a transforming growth factor-α-related protein in the chicken kidney. A number of polypeptides are involved in renal growth and physiology. Both transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α) protein and mRNA are expressed in kidney cells during embryonic and adult stages, and exert mitogenic activity on kidney cells in culture. We studied the immunolocalization of a TGF-α-related protein at the ultrastructural level and found it in the basolateral membranes of dark cells from distal tubules of the chicken kidney. By Western blotting techniques, we identified a protein complex composed of at least two TGF-α immunoreactive subunits of 40 and 88 kDa, respectively. Both subunits were sensitive to elastase digestion, and released TGF-α immunoreactive products. In addition, TGF-α immunoreaction was found in primary culture of chicken kidney cells. These findings suggest that the TGF-α-related protein complex plays a very specific role in proliferation and/or differentiation of kidney cells.