HCG β molecules and the glycosyl-transferase gene study of chorionic diseases with high incidence in the South East Asia

2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 12576028
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Laboratory medicine
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: FUKUOKA Hideoki Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Associate professor, 大学院・医学系研究科, 助教授 (80111540)
• Project Period (FY): 2000 – 2001
• Keywords: sialic acid / hCG / sialidase / sugar chain structure / chorionic disease / hyperthyroidism

Research Abstract

Villous malignant change brings about hydatidiform mole or choriocarcinoma with the change of sugar chain structures and bioactivity of hCG, As In Japan, the cases of these diseases have been decreasing; we have constructed the cooperative research projects, as a counterpart, with the Department of Internal Medicine Mahidol University Medical School, Thai Land. However, the number of the studied cases is not so many. Sugar chain structures had been analyzed by Isoelectrofocussing, sialic acid content, deglycosidase study, and affinity study to lectins. In addition, the gene expression of glycosyl-transferases was analyzed. These diseases are reported to show severe hyperthyroidism. Our cases were, however, divided into hyperthyroidism and not hyperthyroidism groups. Isoelectrofocussing disclosed that the cases with much hCG molecules with neutral regions showed hyperthyroidism and those with strong acidic regions did not show that. Sialidase treatment induced the acidic molecules moving into the neutral region, suggesting the hCG molecules of acidic regions having much sialic acid molecules. Similarly, RT-PCR study confirmed that the villi with much acidic region molecules expressed much expression of sialidase genes.