A two‐dimensional protein map of human amniotic fluid at 17 weeks' gestation

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Abstract
Using updated technical procedures (immobilized pH gradients for isoelectric focusing followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis: IPG/SDS‐PAGE) we provide a two‐dimensional (2‐D) map of amniotic fluid (AF) proteins. This map comprises over 800 silver‐stained spots. Over 150 spots have been identified by matching on the net with human plasma and cerebrospinal fluid maps available from SWISS 2DPAGE database; several additional spots were assigned by immunoblotting and/or microanalytical techniques. This report details our investigation on AF proteins focusing on the 17th week of gestation, when AF is most commonly used for clinical evaluation of fetal disorders. As a whole, the map displays a number of potential markers for fetal development and for gestation abnormalities. The 2‐D electrophoretic technique allows the monitoring of all these proteins at the same time along with additional spots that may prove of diagnostic significance.