Lactadherin은 모유의 유지방구막의 당단백질의 하나로 mucin, butyrophilin과 결합된 복합체이다. 특히 모유중의 mucin과 lactadherin은 출생 직후 면역력이 약한 유아를 병균의 침입으로부터 효율적으로 방어하여 초기 유아의 생존과 성장 및 발달에 매우 중요한 역할을 수행한다. Lactadherin은 유아 설사의 원인이 되는 rotavirus의 번식과 성장을 억제한다. 아울러 이 단백질은 새로운 혈관의 형성을 촉진하는 주요한

Lactadherin is a glycoprotein of human milk fat globule membrane that binds to mucin and butyrophilin forming the protein complex. Especially, mucin and lactadherin in human milk efficiently protect infants with poor immune functions right after birth from infections by microorganisms and play important roles for their early survival, growth and development. Lactadherin inhibits the propagation and growth of rotavirus that is a global pathogen causing infants' diarrhea. Recently this protein was known to promote neovascularization and its deficiency related to develop Alzheimer's disease. In this study, the basic biochemical and physiological aspects of lactadherin were investigated. Messenger RNAs were isolated from mammary tissues from Korean women patients to clone a 1.2 kb cDNA and sequenced its DNA to determine its amino acid sequences. The cDNA was cloned to express its 43 kD protein in E. coli, which was confirmed by Western blot. The recombinant protein was purified and injected to 2 rabbits to raise antibodies against it. The semi-purified milk fat globule membrane proteins from Korean women was analyzed by Western blot using the rabbit antibody to give 70, 55, 46, 30 kD bands. Also several polymorphism and SNPs of lactadherin gene from Korean women were observed compared with those of Caucasian women.

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