TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR-BETA-2-RELATED-DECIDUAL SUPPRESSOR FACTOR IS NOT RELATED TO TJ6 PROTEIN

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 2-related-decidual suppressor fa ctor (DSF) and TJ6 protein are both immunosuppressive molecules presen t in murine and human pregnancy. Treatment of mice with either anti-TJ 6 or anti-TGF-beta 2 neutralizing antibodies results in increased feta l loss. Western blots of supernatants from pregnant mouse decidua prob ed with anti-TJ6 (soluble form) showed a doubler at a similar molecula r size as when the blot was probed with anti-TGF-beta 2 antibody. The problem is to determine whether TJ6 and DSF are the same protein. In o rder to determine if TJ6 and DSF are the same or different proteins, w e used affinity column purified TGF-beta 2-DSF and stained Western blo ts with anti-TJ6. The TGF-beta 2-monoclonal antibody affinity column-p urified DSF that stained with anti TGF-beta 2 was not reactive with an ti-TJ6 antibody. TJ6 has only a 30% gene sequence homology and a 13% a mino acid homology to TGF-beta 2. TJ6 and TGF-beta 2-related DSF appea r to be different immunosuppressive proteins in decidua.