New pregnancy and placental proteins and their possible diagnostic significance

In our laboratory a large number of, for the most part, new proteins have been detected by immunochemical methods in extracts from human term placentae: namely 3 pregnancy proteins (SP1, SP2 and SP3), around 40 soluble placental tissue proteins (PPs) and at least 11 different solubilized, apparently membrane-associated, tissue proteins. A great deal of the new proteins has been already isolated to purity and characterized. The treatise gives an overview of what is known of the physico-chemical properties and of the possible biological role of these proteins as well as of their occurrence in tissues and body fluids. It also summarizes the possible diagnostic significance of detection and measurement of these proteins on the one hand in pregnant women, on the other hand in patients with tumours and other diseases, as far as this has been already investigated.