A Study on Electrophoretic Pattern and Immunosuppressive Activity of Uterine Secretory Protein in Early Pregnant Sows

초기 임신돈에 있어서 자궁분비단백질의 전기영동상과 면역억제력에 관한 연구

The experiment was carried out to study the profile of uterine specific protein during early pregnancy in sows and to test it's immunosuppressive activity. Uterine protein samples were obtained by flushing the uterine horn on Day 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 of the estrous cycle and the pregnancy respectively and the protein concentration of each sample was determined. The change of uterine protein was examined by sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS)-PAGE. The immunosuppressive activity of uterine secretory protein was investigated according to the lymphocyte blastogenesis response to mitogen. The results of this experiment are summarized as follows ; 1. The uterine protein during estrous cycle and early pregnancy was relatively constant up to Day 9, but increased on Day 12. Maxium total protein values were found on Day 15. The concentration of serum proteins were about 82-95 mg during estrous cycle, but decreased to about 70-82 mg during early pregnancy. 2. The proteins components similar electrophoretic patterns(PAGE) that were no differences (band ; a, b, c, d, e, f, g, I) on Days 3, 6 and 9 of the estrous cycle and pregnancy. But there were more 2 bands specifically on Day 12 of the pregnancy and on Day 15 of estrous cycle and showed more 4 bands on Day 15 of early pregnancy. They seemed to be acidoprotein and their average molecular weight were 38,000, 22,300 and 12,600. 3. When uterine protein were added 500$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml, there was no immunosuppresive activity on Day 3 of estrous cycle and lymphocyte blastogenesis was slightly suppressed on Day 3 of pregnancy. The immunosuppressive activity on Day 9 of estrous cycle and pregnancy appeared in 500$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml and 150$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml, respectively the uterine protein on Day 12 and 15 showed immunosuppresive activity, which at the level of 150$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml during non-pregnancy and at the level of 100 to 125$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml during early pregnancy, respectively.