Protein Name alpha fetoprotein
Organism Homo sapiens
Gene ID 174
Gene Symbol

AFP

UniProt P02771 (FETA_HUMAN)
Relationships Total Number of functionally related compound(s) : 935
Total Number of Articles : 1535
Description

alpha fetoprotein

Gene Summary

This gene encodes alpha-fetoprotein, a major plasma protein produced by the yolk sac and the liver during fetal life. Alpha-fetoprotein expression in adults is often associated with hepatocarcinoma and with teratoma, and has prognostic value for managing advanced gastric cancer. However, hereditary persistance of alpha-fetoprotein may also be found in individuals with no obvious pathology. The protein is thought to be the fetal counterpart of serum albumin, and the alpha-fetoprotein and albumin genes are present in tandem in the same transcriptional orientation on chromosome 4. Alpha-fetoprotein is found in monomeric as well as dimeric and trimeric forms, and binds copper, nickel, fatty acids and bilirubin. The level of alpha-fetoprotein in amniotic fluid is used to measure renal loss of protein to screen for spina bifida and anencephaly. [provided by RefSeq, Oct 2019]

synonyms
  • alpha-fetoprotein
  • alpha-1-fetoprotein
  • alpha-fetoglobulin
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Properties