| Abstract: | A quantitative assay for a thymic hormone (LSHr) was developed and utilized for biologic materials. The protein was isolated from tissue extracts or biologic fluids by precipitation with 20% (NH4)2SO4 and reprecipitation with 75% methanol with subsequent disc-electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel. The proteins on the gel were stained with amido black. One of the two protein bands was readily identified with LSHr by its electrophoretic mobility and agar immunodiffusion tests. Comparison of the intensity of the protein bands obtained from biologic tissues with those of graded amounts of the pure LSHr allowed quantitative estimation. Another basic protein of the serum is found along with LSHr by the above fractionation procedure; it was tentatively named GEM 126 on the basis of its electrophoretic mobility. The total quantity of each of these serum basic proteins and their ratios to each other showed no correlation to any of 20 clinical and laboratory parameters in either healthy or cancerous adults. The lack of correlation between the quantity of serum protein presumed to be LSHr and cancer susceptibility suggests this thymic hormone is not deficient in patients with cancer. Treatment of female cancer patients with radiation and chemotherapy caused a decrease in serum GEM 126 when compared to healthy adults, and untreated or surgically treated cancer patients. |
