Chromatographic, immunochemical and electrophoretic studies of human uterotrophic placental factor (hUTPF)

The human uterotrophic placental factor (hUTPF) is a protein obtained from human term placentae and acts on uterine growth, mammary gland, and blastocyst development and implantation. In the present work, we further define some molecular characteristics of hUTPF using chromatographic, electrophoretic and immunochemical methods. It is concluded that in human term placenta a high molecular weight hUTPF is present, bound to albumin and immunoglobulins, which could represent a storage or transport form of this factor. hUTPF presents several molecular forms, one of them of 270 kDa and others of approximately 90 kDa and 27 kDa.