Protein Complex of Fibrinogen Gamma Chain and Complement Factor H in Ovarian Cancer Patient Plasma.

Abstract

In the plasma of an advanced cancer patient, fibrinogen is sometimes increased with possible effects on red blood cells (RBCs). The plasma fraction deteriorating osmotic resistance of RBCs was separated from a patient's plasma with advanced ovarian cancer by phenyl-sepharose column chromatography and analyzed with gel filtration chromatography. In the plasma fraction, we found a protein reactive against whole fibrinogen with a molecular weight higher than that of intact fibrinogen from a healthy volunteer. The-high molecular weight protein was immunoractive to an antibody against fibrinogen gamma chain but not to an antibody against alpha or beta chain. Complement factor H, identified by N-terminal sequencing of a 150-kDa protein separated from the protein, was also eluted from anti-fibrinogen gamma immunoaffinity column. Fibrinogen gamma chain and complement factor H were found to be bound as a protein complex in the plasma of a patient with advanced ovarian cancer.