[Expression of human ERMAP gene in fetal tissues]

Human ERMAP (hERMAP) is a novel gene coding for erythroid membrane-associated protein, which may play a role in erythropoiesis. To explore the role of hERMAP in fetal hematopoiesis, 29 fetuses of inevitable abortion with the fetal ages of 9 - 36 weeks were collected, and the total RNAs were isolated from the liver, spleen, kidney, heart, lung, thymus, brain, bone marrow and skeletal muscle, the RNAs from which at 25(+5) week fetal age were used to detect hERMAP expressions in different fetal tissues with Northern blot, and the hERMAP in various fetal tissues were quantified by FQ-PCR. As a result, Northern blot showed that hERMAP was expressed in liver and bone marrow at 25(+5) fetal age, but not in the other organ tissues. FQ-PCR results indicated that the hERMAP had been still expressed in 9 - 36th week fetal liver, increased starting from 12th-week, reaching a peak between 18 - 20th week and declining slowly starting from 21st-week. In the fetal bone marrow, expression of the hERMAP began from 15th week, reached a highest level between 27 - 32nd week and fell rapidly from 33rd week, the expression level of which was lower than that in liver. The low level expression of this gene was observed in some specimens of kidney, heart, lung, thymus, brain and skeletal muscle. It is concluded that the expression of hERMAP in fetal liver approximately consistent with haematopoiesis of fetal liver, and the expression of this gene in bone marrow aged 15 - 32nd fetal weeks coincides with haematopoiesis of fetal bone marrow. It suggests that the function of the hERMAP is possibly related with the migration of erythroid cells to liver and bone marrow during the fetal development process.