[Phenylalanine hydroxylase-like antibody in human chorionic villi]

An antigen similar by electrophoretic mobility to liver phenylalanine hydroxylase (PH) and cross-reacting with monoclonal antibody PH8 against liver PH was detected in extracts of soluble proteins in 6 from 23 samples of chorionic villi. An antigen with electrophoretic mobility corresponding to 40-41 kDa was detected in extracts of membrane proteins from these 23 samples by immunoblotting with monoclonal antibody PH8. Its molecular weight was similar to that of major chymotryptic peptide of human liver PH. The content of the antigen varied with samples and was less than 20 ng/mg of the extracted protein. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed only 1 spot of the antigen. The antigen did not react with monoclonal antibodies PH7 and PH9 epitopes of which were located in N-terminal fragment of liver PH. These data suggest that the antigen of membrane fraction could be a PH protein without N-terminal domain.