Isolation, characterization, and distribution of a 24-kDa proteoglycan in the urine of cachectic cancer and AIDS patients

Julio E. Figueroa, Parakat Vijayagopal, Anand Prasad, David V. Schapira, Chandan Prasad

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Substantial weight loss in individuals with AIDS or cancer is associated with a poor prognosis and increased mortality. We have isolated and partially characterized a proteoglycan (named azaftig) from the urine of a cancer patient experiencing weight loss. Furthermore, we have raised a polyclonal antibody to azaftig in rabbits and developed a procedure to measure the level of this proteoglycan in urine by Western blot. We report the presence of azaftig in the urine of cancer and AIDS patients experiencing weight loss, but not in the control or weight-stable subjects. The azaftig-like immunoreactivity was present in 69.2% (9/13) of patients with weight loss, but only in 27.0% (3/11) of weight-stable cancer or AIDS patients and none of the control subjects (n = 8).

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)642-646
Number of pages5
JournalBiochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Volume254
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 27 1999
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Biochemistry
  • Cell Biology

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