Plasma protein changes in parakeets with pituitary tumors.

Abstract

SummaryThe first recognized manifestation of a primary or transplanted pituitary tumor in the parakeet is a marked increase in a plasma protein component, tentatively identified as a globulin. Analysis by optical ultracentrifugation suggests that this protein is qualitatively different from any present in normal plasma. Several weeks after appearance of the abnormal protein there is often an associated hyperglycemia and obesity. It is suggested that all these changes express the response of target tissues to one or several hormones secreted by the tumor.