scholarly journals Early Pregnancy Factor (EPF): A Link between Fertilization and Immunomodulation

1984 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Halle Morton
Keyword(s):  
Germ Cell ◽  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Early Pregnancy Factor ◽  
Releasing Hormone

Early pregnancy factor (EPF) is a pregnancy-dependent, suppressor-releasing hormone, which can be differentiated from other known pregnancy-associated substances by its physiological, biochemical and immunological characteristics. To date studies have shown that the presence of EPF in serum at anytime except during pregnancy is pathological and is associated with tumors of germ cell origin.

scholarly journals Recent Possibilities for the Diagnosis of Early Pregnancy and Embryonic Mortality in Dairy Cows

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1666
Author(s):  
Ottó Szenci
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Fetal Mortality ◽  
Reproductive Efficiency ◽  
Interferon Tau ◽  
Early Pregnancy Factor ◽  
Pelvic Inlet ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Protein Assays

One of the most recent techniques for the on-farm diagnosis of early pregnancy (EP) in cattle is B-mode ultrasonography. Under field conditions, acceptable results may be achieved with ultrasonography from Days 25 to 30 post-AI. The reliability of the test greatly depends on the frequency of the transducer used, the skill of the examiner, the criterion used for a positive pregnancy diagnosis (PD), and the position of the uterus in the pelvic inlet. Non-pregnant animals can be selected accurately by evaluating blood flow in the corpus luteum around Day 20 after AI, meaning we can substantially improve the reproductive efficiency of our herd. Pregnancy protein assays (PSPB, PAG-1, and PSP60 RIA, commercial ELISA or rapid visual ELISA tests) may provide an alternative method to ultrasonography for determining early pregnancy or late embryonic/early fetal mortality (LEM/EFM) in dairy cows. Although the early pregnancy factor is the earliest specific indicator of fertilization, at present, its detection is entirely dependent on the use of the rosette inhibition test; therefore, its use in the field needs further developments. Recently found biomarkers like interferon-tau stimulated genes or microRNAs may help us diagnose early pregnancy in dairy cows; however, these tests need further developments before their general use in the farms becomes possible.

Platelet activating factor-induced early pregnancy factor activity from the perfused rabbit ovary and oviduct

1988 ◽  
Vol 159 (6) ◽  
pp. 1580-1584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kou Sueoka ◽  
A.M. Dharmarajan ◽  
Toyohiko Miyazaki ◽  
Susan J. Atlas ◽  
Edward E. Wallach
Keyword(s):  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Platelet Activating Factor ◽  
Factor Activity ◽  
Early Pregnancy Factor

Early pregnancy factor: Tissues involved in its production in the mouse

1980 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Morton ◽  
B.E. Rolfe ◽  
L. McNeill ◽  
P. Clarke ◽  
F.M. Clarke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Early Pregnancy Factor

The early pregnancy factor as marker of the normal and disturbed pregnancy

1989 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
W Straube ◽  
M Loh ◽  
V Hübel ◽  
M Ressel
Keyword(s):  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Early Pregnancy Factor

Measurement of early pregnancy factor activity for monitoring the viability of the equine embryo

1998 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Takagi ◽  
K Nishimura ◽  
N Oguri ◽  
K Ohnuma ◽  
K Ito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Factor Activity ◽  
Early Pregnancy Factor

Chaperonin 10 in the Rat Oocytes and Early Embryos: its Expression and Activity for Early Pregnancy Factor

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 242-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
KAZUHIRO KAWAMURA ◽  
JUN FUKUDA ◽  
JIN KUMAGAI ◽  
AKIKO KUMAGAI ◽  
TOSHINOBU TANAKA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Early Pregnancy Factor ◽  
Early Embryos ◽  
Chaperonin 10 ◽  
Expression And Activity

Early pregnancy factor has immunosuppressive and growth factor properties

1992 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 411 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Morton ◽  
AC Cavanagh ◽  
S Athanasas-Platsis ◽  
KA Quinn ◽  
BE Rolfe
Keyword(s):  
Growth Factor ◽  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Passive Immunization ◽  
Immunological Response ◽  
Reversed Phase ◽  
Tumour Cells ◽  
Delayed Type Hypersensitivity ◽  
Early Pregnancy Factor

Early pregnancy factor (EPF) was first described as a pregnancy-associated substance, although recent studies suggest a more general link with cell development. It is a product of actively dividing cells and its apparent functional importance to them suggests its potential as a regulator of cell proliferation. The recent discovery of EPF in platelets has provided a comparatively rich and readily available source of EPF. The purification procedures employed to isolate EPF from this source have also been applied to pregnancy serum and urine, medium conditioned by oestrous mouse ovaries (stimulated with prolactin and embryo-conditioned medium), medium conditioned by tumour cells, and serum from rats 24 h after partial hepatectomy (PH). In all instances, biological activity followed the same pattern throughout. Furthermore, the final active reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography fraction from all sources was bound specifically by immobilized anti-EPF monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), indicating that the active fractions produced from these diverse sources are very closely related, if not identical. Some differences have been observed in the behaviour of EPF in various conditions. EPF is produced by proliferating tumour cells and by liver cells post-PH, and passive immunization studies with anti-EPF MAbs have shown that these cells need EPF for survival. In contrast, EPF has not been detected as a product of the pre-embryo, and addition of anti-EPF MAbs to embryo cultures does not adversely affect development from the 2-cell to the blastocyst stage. Although the pre-embryo is not dependent on EPF for its development in vitro, neutralization of EPF in vivo by anti-EPF MAbs retards its development. Thus, EPF appears to play an indirect role in maintaining the pre-embryo. By virtue of its ability to suppress the delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction, it has been suggested that EPF might act as an immunological response modifier of the maternal immune system. Alternatively, the effect of EPF on lymphocytes may be to reduce the expression of all or some cytokines and this could inhibit development. Whether or not EPF acts more directly as an autocrine growth factor from around the time of implantation, when the embryo first begins synthesis of EPF, is not known and remains to be investigated.

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