Human cytoplasmic alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) has been classified as a member of the albuminoid gene family. The protein sequence of AFP has significant homology to that of human serum albumin (HSA), but its biological characteristics are vastly different from HSA. The AFP functions as a regulator in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) pathway, but HSA plays a key role a...

Korea is known as a hepatitis B virus-endemic area with a high incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) [1]. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is the most widely used tumor marker for monitoring HCC in clinical practices. The serum AFP level is <10 ng/mL in healthy adults, but patients with HCC show a very wide distribution of AFP levels. AFP level is known to increase in 60-70% of patients with HCC [...

PURPOSE α-fetoprotein (AFP)-producing gastric cancer is a rare tumor with high rates of liver metastasis and a poor prognosis. Many studies have been performed but there have been no comprehensive investigations of the clinicopathological and prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Six hundred ninety four patients with gastric cancer who underwent a curative gastric resection in Hanyang University H...

In this report, we examine the functional significance of the molecular microheterogeneity of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). In doing so, we have taken the direct approach of purifying the naturally occurring isomeric forms of fetal-derived AFP using a preparative anion exchange column linked to an automated fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) system followed by parallel testing of each isolate...

BACKGROUND Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) expression can resume in the adult liver under pathophysiological conditions. Orphan nuclear receptors were supposed to regulate AFP gene expression, in vitro. We were interested to study the expression of AFP and orphan nuclear receptors, in vivo. RESULTS The expression of AFP gene and orphan nuclear receptors in the liver was examined in different rat mode...

The majority of human hepatocellular carcinomas overexpress alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Two genetic immunization strategies were used to determine whether AFP could serve as a target for T-cell immune responses. Dendritic cells engineered to express AFP produced potent T-cell responses in mice, as evidenced by the generation of AFP-specific CTLs, cytokine-producing T cells, and protective immunity...

OBJECTIVES To achieve a polio-free certification in Iran, a nationwide active surveillance program for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) was set up following World Health Organization guidelines. This article describes the results of an eight-year surveillance of AFP in Hamadan, in the west of Iran. METHODS A standard set of minimum core variables were collected. All cases of non-polio AFP in chi...

Two clearly opposing views exist on the function of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), a fetal plasma protein that binds estrogens with high affinity, in the sexual differentiation of the rodent brain. AFP has been proposed to either prevent the entry of estrogens or to actively transport estrogens into the developing female brain. The availability of Afp mutant mice (Afp–/–) now finally allows us to res...

We examined the methylation pattern and organization of the AFP gene in whole livers and in isolated cell populations purified from livers of rats fed a carcinogenic diet which interferes with DNA methylation. Using restriction endonuclease digestion, we find no differences in methylation pattern and overall organization of the AFP gene in oval cells (AFP-producers) and hepatocytes (non-produce...

Background and Aims: The lack of specificity has limited the role of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) screening among patients with cirrhosis related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We sought to examine whether AFP may decrease after achieving a sustained virological response (SVR) in patients with HCV-related cirrhosis. Methods: We performed a retrospectiv...