Abstract
As we could show earlier, the excretion of normal and modified ribonucleosides and free nucleobases reflects growth velocity when correlated to age and crea tinine. Therefore, we tried to develop a new biochemical pregnancy surveillance test. Modified RNA catabolites cannot be recycled and are only in part degraded prior to excretion. So, these "one-way" catabolites in dicate the intensity of RNA turnover which is linked t protein biosynthesis and finally to growth velocity. Normal and modified nucleobases and nucleosides (adenine, guanine, 1-methyl-, 2-methyl-, 2,2-dimethyl-, 7-methylguanine and pseudouridine) are measured at the picomole level by cation exchange chromatography. We found a steady increase of all modified RNA catabolite which was traceable from the end of the first trimenon Around week 36 about twice the normal level was reached. In addition, there were shifts in the pattern of the RNA catabolites excreted. We could establish a sta tistically significant (p=0.01) correlation between the length of the child at birth and its mothers excretion of RNA catabolites, beginning as early as in week 9/10. It is therefore concluded that this new concept should turn out to be especially suited for the follow-up of pregnancies at risk.
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Schoech, G., Hoting, E. & Sohulte, F. Excretion of RNA catabolites in pregnancy. Pediatr Res 14, 1420 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198012000-00074
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198012000-00074
