This gene encodes alpha-fetoprotein, a major plasma protein produced by the yolk sac and the liver during fetal life. Alpha-fetoprotein expression in adults is often associated with hepatoma or teratoma. However, hereditary persistance of alpha-fetoprotein may also be found in individuals with no obvious pathology. The protein is thought to be the fetal counterpart of serum albumin, and the alpha-fetoprotein and albumin genes are present in tandem in the same transcriptional orientation on chromosome 4. Alpha-fetoprotein is found in monomeric as well as dimeric and trimeric forms, and binds copper, nickel, fatty acids and bilirubin. The level of alpha-fetoprotein in amniotic fluid is used to measure renal loss of protein to screen for spina bifida and anencephaly.
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is classified as a member of the albuminoid gene superfamily consisting of albumin,AFP,vitamin D (Gc) protein,and alpha-albumin. AFP is a glycoprotein of 591 amino acids and a carbohydrate moiety. AFP is one of the several embryo-specific proteins and is a dominant serum protein as early in human embryonic life as one month,when albumin and transferrin are present in relatively small amounts. It is first synthesized in the human by the yolk sac and liver(1-2 months) and subsequently predominantly in the liver. A small amount of AFP is produced by the GI tract of the human conceptus. It has been proved that AFP may reappear in the serum in elevated amounts in adult life in association with normal restorative processes and with malignant growth. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a specific marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC),teratoblastomas,and neural tube defect (NTD).
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