AFP polyclonal antibody

The gene encodes alpha-fetoprotein, a major plasma protein produced by the yolk sac and liver during the fetal period. The expression of alpha-fetoprotein in adults is often associated with liver cancer or teratoma. However, the inheritance of alpha-fetoprotein can also be found in individuals without obvious pathology. This protein is considered to be the fetal counterpart of serum albumin, and the alpha-fetoprotein and albumin genes exist simultaneously in the same transcription direction on chromosome 4. Alpha-fetoprotein exists in monomers, dimers and trimers, and can bind copper, nickel, fatty acids and bilirubin. The level of alpha-fetoprotein in the amniotic fluid is used to determine renal loss of protein to screen for spina bifida and anencephaly.