Alpha-fetoprotein: from a diagnostic biomarker to a key role in female fertility
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Authors
Mees, Christelle De
Bakker, Julie
Szpirer, Josiane
Szpirer, Claude
Issue Date
2007-02-07
Type
Article
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alpha-fetoprotein , Estrogens , Anovulation , Female Brain Differentiation
Alternative Title
Abstract
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a well-known diagnostic biomarker used in medicine to detect fetal developmental anomalies such as neural tube defects or Down’s syndrome, or to follow up the development of tumors such as hepatocellular carcinomas. However, and despite the fact that the protein was discovered almost half a century ago, little was known about its physiological function. The study of Afp knock-out mice uncovered a surprising function of AFP: it is essential for female fertility and for expression of normal female behaviors, and this action is mediated through its estrogen binding capacity. AFP sequestrates estrogens and by so doing protects the female developing brain from deleterious (defeminizing/masculinizing) effects of these hormones.
Description
Citation
De Mees, C., Bakker, J., Szpirer, J., & Szpirer, C. (2007). Alpha-fetoprotein: from a diagnostic biomarker to a key role in female fertility. Biomarker insights, 1, 82–85.
Publisher
Biomarker Insights