Abstract
HUMAN placental alkaline phosphatase has several unique properties. It is stable to heating at 65 °C (ref. 1), is immunochemically distinct from the isoenzymes in other adult organs2,3, and has a large number of allelic variants4–6, with a ‘degree of heterozygosity’ much larger than that of any other human enzyme studied to date7. If placental phosphatase is specific to fetal development, it would be logical to expect that a similar isoenzyme would be present during fetal development in other mammalian species. This is not the case, however, as several species, including rhesus monkey, African green monkey and baboon, do not have in their placentae an isoenzyme which resembles human placental phosphatase8. The presence of the placental isoenzyme in humans therefore seems to be a late evolutionary event. To determine the species specificity of this enzyme, we have used the criteria which distinguish the human placental isoenzyme, including inhibition by 5 mM L-phenylalanine1 and insensitivity to inhibition by 0.1 mM bromotetramisole9, to compare the enzymes in species closely related to man. We report here that of the species studied, only the chimpanzee and orangutan have an isoenzyme resembling that in humans.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Fishman, W. H. Am. J. Med. 56, 617–650 (1974).
Boyer, S. H. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 103, 938–950 (1963).
Sussman, H. H., Small, P. A. & Cotlove, E. J. biol. Chem. 243, 160–166 (1968).
Robson, E. B. & Harris, H. Ann. hum. Genet. 30, 219–232 (1967).
Beckman, L., Beckman, G., Christodoulow, C. & Ifekwumigwe, A. Acta genet., Basel 17, 406–412 (1967).
Donald, L J. & Robson, E. B. Ann. hum. Genet. 37, 303–313 (1974).
Harris, H. H., Hopkinson, D. A. & Robson, E. B. Ann. hum. Genet. 37, 237–253 (1974).
Manning, J. P., Inglis, N. R., Green, S. & Fishman, W. H. Enzymologia 37, 251–261 (1969).
VanBelle, H., DeBroe, M. E. & Wieme, R. J. clin. Chem. 23, 454–459 (1977).
Doellgast, G. J. & Fishman, W. H. Clin. chim. Acta 75, 449–454 (1976).
Doellgast, G. J., Guenther, R. A., Spiegel, J. & Fishman, W. H. Biochim. biophys. Acta 484, 59–78 (1977).
Walker, A. Molecular Anthropology, 63–77 (Plenum, New York, 1976).
Donald, L. J. & Robson, E. B. Ann. hum. Genet. 38, 7–18 (1974).
Beckman, G., Beckman, L. & Magnusson, S. S. Hum. Hered. 22, 473–480 (1972).
Beckman, G. & Beckman, L. Hereditas 81, 85–88 (1975).
Zuckerkandl, E. Molecular Anthropology. 387–447 (Plenum, New York, 1976).
Fishman, W. H. et al. Nature 219, 697 (1968).
Nakayama, T., Yoshida, M. & Kitamura, M. Clin. chim. Acta 30, 546–548 (1970).
Higasho, K., Hashinotsume, M., Kong, K. Y., Takahashi, Y. & Yamamura, Y. Clin. chim. Acta 40, 67–81 (1972).
Fishman, W. H. & Singer, R. M. Cancer, 57–80 (Plenum, New York, 1976).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
DOELLGAST, G., BENIRSCHKE, K. Placental alkaline phosphatase in Hominidae. Nature 280, 601–602 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/280601a0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/280601a0
